Varia's Cloud Guardian
by Rowzhyan
Summary: Xanxus finally agreed into hiring a new Cloud guardian. Joey Giovanni, recommended by the Ninth, was having a hard time adjusting with his new co-members, maybe because, Joey is really a Josephine? Just another CLICHE story. Hate it? Haters gotta hate
1. Joey Giovanni

Summary:

**Xanxus finally agreed into hiring a new Cloud guardian. Joey Giovanni, recommended by the Ninth, was having a hard time adjusting with his new co-members, maybe because, Joey is really a Josephine? Please Vote on who you want her to end up with :)**

"VOIIIIIIII! Everyone! The boss calls for a meeting!" Squalo screamed throughout the mansion

"Ushishishishishi~ what is it this time?" Bel crossed his arms as they neared Xanxus' office

"VOIIIIII! I don't know!" Squalo yelled once more, entering the room

"Quiet trash!" Xanxus threw a bottle of booze at the long haired male

Squalo dodged it and the bottle hit Fran on the head

"Sempai, why did you dodge it? Now my head hurts" He said in his usual monotonous voice

"Everybody listen up, we have a new cloud guardian starting today. Come out trash" He looked to another door.

The door opened and a petite boy came in

He had the same body as Fran but slimmer and slightly taller, and his shoulder length, scruffy mauve hair flying out to his face. He wore a loose black shirt with a purple checkered scarf around his neck and white skinny jeans

"I'm Joey Giovanni…" He said in a bored tone, his icy blue eyes penetrating to each and every one in the room

"We-Welcome, Joey!" Lussuria greeted, extending his arm to him

Joey stared at his hand and softly smiled "Thanks"

"…" Lussuria's cheeks burned pink

"Awwww~ you're such a cute boy!" Lussuria pulled him into a hug

"_Boy? This should be interesting…_" Joey silently laughed

"Get out, trash" Xanxus scoffed, turning his chair around

Once everyone got out of the room, except Levi, who served around Xanxus, they went back to their usual business

"Joey-kun, I'll show you to your room!" Lussuria dragged the 25 year old boy near the stairs

"Uh… okay…" He murmured, trying to keep up with the cheery guy holding his arm

"Ushishishishi~" A knife flew out of nowhere, stabbing Joey's forearm

"Bel! What do you think you're doing to our new member?" Lussuria stopped in his tracks, seeing the blood drip down Joey's arm

"Ushishishi~ I'm just seeing how strong our new member is" The proclaimed prince drew out a couple more knives

"Forgive the fake prince, Joey-sempai" Fran stood beside Bel

"…" Joey frowned, staring at the giant frog hat

"Ah, Bel-sempai forced me to wear this thing because it represents the old illusionist they had" Fran patted the hat on his head

"…That's a stupid reason" Joey told Bel, who threw another knife after hearing her

"Ushishishi~" Bel enjoyed watching the blood drip down the floor

"Bel stop it! Joey-kun, I'll get the first aid kit" Lussuria ran away, frantically trying to remember where he placed it

"Ushishishi~ Now, what's your weapon of choice, peasant?" Bel played with one of his knives, tossing it up in the air and catching it with a finger

"Whatever I feel like using" Joey shrugged, eyeing the blond prince in front of him

"What do you feel like using then?" Bel threw another knife, but to his surprise, he was able to catch it, inches away from his face

"_Your_ knives" Joey slyly smiled at him

"Ushishishi~" Bel laughed "Let's begin" He prepared to lunge at him

"I don't feel like fighting" Joey bluntly stated, removing the two other knives from his arm

"Ushishishi~ scared?" He taunted, raising an eyebrow as if they can see it

"No, tired. I flew from England, right after a personal mission. So maybe we can continue some other time" Joey wiped the blood off the knives with his shirt and threw them back at him, handle first

Bel frowned, catching the clean knives

Joey sighed and walked upstairs

"Bel-sempai, you got rejected" Fran inserted, poking the prince

As a vein popped on Bel's forehead, he stabbed Fran's hat

"Shut up, froggy" He grumbled, walking away

"Joey-kun! I found the first aid kit!" Lussuria ran up to the injured boy who just reached the top of the stairs

"Ah, thank you, Lussuria" He took the small white box from him

"Don't worry, I'll help you and it's Luss-nee" He tapped his nose

"Uhm, it's okay, I want to sleep for awhile…" Joey assured him

"Very well, dinner will be served in an hour, okay?" Lussuria ruffled his hair "That's your room, by the way" He pointed to the door nearest to them

"Ah, thanks" Joey faked a smile until Lussuria got down to the first floor

Joey sighed deeply and went to his room

It was pretty decent, big enough for him

His bags were set by the king sized bed that's been neatly fixed

"I wonder who will be the first to discover the fact that…" Joey paused, removing his scarf and shirt, and stared at his bandaged chest in the mirror

"The fact that I'm…" He removed the bandage around his chest


	2. JOSEPHINE!

"A girl!" Bel exclaimed, tossing his legs to hang over the arm of the couch

"VOIIII! I agree with you! That Joey is too skimpy to be part of Varia! I bet he can't even kill someone!" Squalo raged in the background

"Now, we don't know what Joey-kun is capable of. For all we care, he's an excellent fighter!" Lussuria defended, removing his apron that states 'Cooking Mama'

"Sempai, is the food ready already?" Fran moaned, squatting by the couch since Belphegor was taking up all the space

"Oh, yes. It is. Bel-kun do you mind fetching Joey-kun?" Lussuria asked the lazy blond

"Eh? Why me? Why not that peasant frog?" He pointed at Fran with his knife

"Because I want you to apologize to Joey-kun for attacking him awhile ago" Lussuria pouted

"Che, fine" Belphegor grumbled, not wanting to argue right now, heavily dragging his feet out after standing up

"His room is next yours!" He heard Lussuria shout at him

As Belphegor reached Joey's room, he casually walked in

Stepping in, his eyes fell upon Joey's back

The new Varia member turned around and scoffed "Ever heard of knocking?"

Bel's face grew red at the sight of Joey's black brassiere

"Y-you're… You're a…" He stuttered

Joey blinked at him and realized what he was trying to say, he looked down to his own chest and groaned

"Well, since you've found out, I am a girl… My name's Josephine but I go by Joey" The purple haired girl said, trying to hide her chest by folding her bandaged arms

"Ushishishi~ Were you lying about your gender, peasant?" Belphegor regained his composure

"No. You all assumed that I was a boy, so I went with it. So technically, I'm not lying" Joey walked over to her luggage and took out a plain orange shirt and put it on

"What brings you here anyway?" She turned her eyes back to him

"Ushishishi~ Dinner's ready" Belphegor shrugged

"Okay" She bluntly replied, following the blond prince out her room and downstairs

"How long are you planning to hide your gender, peasant?" He asked, walking a couple paces in front of Joey

"I'm not hiding my gender, I'm being who I am. If you all think I'm a boy, then just do so, I don't care. You can tell them if I'm a girl, but I doubt that anything will change" Joey shrugged her shoulders.

"Ushishishi~" Bel simply laughed, reaching the dining room, he pushed the doors open and waltzed in

The dining room was large, smaller than what Joey was used to. The table occupied the very middle of the room, which can seat 12 people. Its traditional Italian design complimented the whole design of the room

Levi and Xanxus wasn't present in the room. Squalo, in the other hand, brought his plate to his room

"Ah, Joey-kun, come here! The food taste great" Lussuria patted the chair's seat, signaling Joey to seat beside him

She gave a small nod and sat beside him

"So, what country are you from?" Lussuria interviewed her

"I'm a full blooded Italian, but was raised in England" Joey stabbed the cut steak and raised it up to her lips

"Oh, why is that?" Lussuria ate his own food while looking at the bright eyed girl

Joey choked, coughing incessantly until the food was dislodged from her throat

Lussuria immediately handed her a drink, which she didn't hesitate to gulp down

"Uhm…" Joey coughed "It's because… I guess that information is classified" She murmured

"I'm sorry for bringing it up then. I hope you'll get used to everything here as soon as possible" He patted her back

"Thanks…" Joey's eyes caught Belphegor flashing his Cheshire grin at her

"What do you want?" Joey spat, her emotions falling flat

"Ushishishi~" He merely laughed, knowing her little secret

"Bel-sempai~ you're freaking me out" Fran groaned, pulling away from him

"Tch, shut up, you un-cute kouhai" He warned, pulling out a knife

"I bet you're freaking out Joey-sempai as well, isn't he, Joey-sempai" The teal haired boy looked over to Joey

"More like irritate" She replied, catching a knife Bel threw at her

"Ushishishi~ the peasant's irritated is she?" Bel taunted

"_He_, sempai, Joey-sempai's a boy remember?" Fran raised a finger

"Ushishishi~ About that…" Bel shot a look at Joey

As a reply, her brows furrowed yet her expression remained tedious

"About that," Bel repeated "You don't seem to be like a boy at all, Joey"

"…" Joey returned to eating her meal

"Ushishishi~ you're more like a flat chested girl"

Joey's cheeks flared and stood up "That's it! One on One, now"

"Ushishishi~ peasant's feisty isn't he now?" Bel laughed once more, before standing up

"Now, now, not at the table" Lussuria ushered them, only to back off, seeing how Joey's eyes turned cold at Bel

**Wooooo. Fight scene is up next! I'm doing a suckish job at this :| I'm a sophomore, gimme a break. Reviews please :)**


	3. Fight! Not xxxx!

Finally! I tried to write the fanfics in class but I ended up listening to the teacher anyway… OHMAYGAHD. I AM A GEEK…

Anyways…

**Commence Fight scene!**

"Ushishishi~ what's your weapon peasant?" Belphegor asked, standing up from his seat

Joey's lips curved into a smirk as her hands reached for her boots.

Retreating her hands, she revealed 2, foot long metal rods

"?" Bel's trademark grin faded after seeing the weapon peek out the table

Joey conjoined them, leaving the echoing rhythm vibe throughout the room

Slowly, she pulled them apart

It now had a thin silver chain that connected the two rods

"Nun chucks?" Fran doubted his answer, seeing how long the chain was

In a split second, each rod grew curved blades, embedded with diamond slivers, making Lussuria jump back even more

"Chain Scythes, this whole weapon is covered with the hardest mineral on earth…" Joey informed them, letting the object in her hands shine under the lights

"Diamonds" Bel murmured

"This chain scythe may be the most expensive weapon in the world, all because of the diamonds around it. If I remember correctly, I used 18 24-karat diamonds on just ONE of the scythes. So that's about 36, excluding the chain. All I know is that, YOU CANNOT BREAK IT" Joey emphasized

"Ah, Joey-sempai, I thought you had no weapon and just chose whatever you felt like using?" Fran raised a finger

"Silly, Fran. I said whatever I felt like using. That doesn't mean I don't have a weapon" Joey laughed

"Oh" Fran softly pounded his fist onto his open palm

"Wait, wait, you can't fight here!" Lussuria scolded them

"Then one of the training rooms then" Belphegor crossed his arms

"Hm~ Fine. But if Boss finds out, you have to explain for yourselves" Lussuria told them

"I can handle him" Joey shrugged her shoulders "Shall we?"

"Ushishishi~" Bel laughed as an answer, once again

The two were alone in the large training room, meters apart, preparing to lunge at each other

Joey took the first step, throwing one of the scythes towards him

Bel leapt up, missing it by inches. He quickly threw a couple of knives at her

She blocked them with the blades, "_Damn those diamonds_" Bel frowned

"Haven't you figured out that you can't win?" Joey caught the other scythe

"Ushishishi~ I will win" Belphegor boasted, taking a couple more knives and his box weapon

"Bring out your box weapon huh?" Joey's face grew dreary

"Is that a problem?" The proclaimed genius of Varia ignited his ring

Joey stared at the fiery red flame that grew out of the Varia ring

Xanxus hadn't given hers yet, but she already had an A class ring and her cloud box weapon with her

"…" Joey didn't want to bring her box weapon out yet

"Won't you bring yours out?" Belphegor held his box up to his ring

"Not my cloud box weapon… I have a different ring and box too, you know" Joey reached into one of her pockets

In her hands, she clutched onto a B class mist ring and an indigo box weapon

"A mist box?" Belphegor question her

"In science, clouds are made out of mist and ice crystals. So I got a mist box weapon and ring" Joey smiled, so innocently that Belphegor hesitated to throw a knife at her

Joey slipped the ring around her right ring finger

"Ready?" She asked, igniting her mist ring

"Ushishishi~" He jammed his ring into the box's opening, releasing his storm mink

"Shishishi" The mink hissed like his master's laugh

Joey did the same and mist covered butterflies spilled out her box

She twirled her scythes in her hand and pounced towards Bel, her mist butterflies tailing after her

Belphegor threw the knives at her, his mink jumping at her

The butterflies engulfed her, as soon as she was out of sight, the swarm of butterflies faded

"I'm not an illusionist. But these butterflies are" Joey's voice ricocheted off the walls

"We'll you're a smart peasant aren't you?" Belphegor threw his knives everywhere

"What the…" Joey's butterflies separated from her, she was a couple paces to his left

Her scythes fell to the floor, leaving a clanging sound

"Wires" Joey's was deadpan again

"It'll be easier to hit you now"

"…" Joey looked closely at the wires, she was sure that if she touched does wires, her skin will get cut

And it was a chance she was willing to make

She tried her best to slowly get her weapon, but the wires cut a little too deep in her skin

She winced seeing the blood on her arm, she enjoyed the stuff, no doubt, but she doesn't heal as fast as any normal person

"Silly, peasant, by the time you reach your weapons, your arms will be cut off" Belphegor started to perform the Cutting Knives waltz

Joey watched the knives surround her

"Crap" Joey's last words before the knives hit her and turned her to vapour

"It was an illusion?" Belphegor stepped back

The sound of metal against metal rang behind him

When he turned around, the chain scythe circled his body, and closed in

Trapped and defeated, Belphegor scowled at Joey, whose body was bleeding with cuts from the wires

"Admittedly, you're one of the best opponents I've ever had" The mauve haired girl walked up to him

"Ushishishi~ you were just lucky, princepessa" He snickered

"Princess?" Joey's eyes widened

"You'll be the prince's new toy~" Belphegor leaned forward, quickly kissing her on her lips

"…" Joey's face was blank

"Ushishishi~" His laugh knocked her out of her daze

"Wh-Why YOU!" Joey's voice screeched

**I'm sorry if it wasn't much of a fight scene, I was rushing myself to update. Gomen –bow- :" My birthday's coming up! July 10… Damn, I'm old. Anyways, reviews please. And by the way, just because Bel kissed her, doesn't mean she ends up with him :")**


	4. Unconventionally learning the truth

**Failed a quiz because of my fanfic… I don't care  
>…t(-_-t)…<strong>

She was, no doubt, pissed at the blond prince

After screaming at him, she smacked her hand across his face, untangled his body from her scythes and left. It had been exactly a day since that happened, she locked herself in her room and denied entry of anybody, meaning Lussuria, by dead serious threats

Sprawled across her bed in the same bloody orange shirt and long khaki shorts, Joey lazily hung her head off the bed. She hadn't eaten yet, she wasn't hungry. She was just there on her bed, staring at the ceiling and at times, the window

Was she to escape _again_? She seemed like the type of person who wouldn't back out in a challenge but in truth, she was scared… She always was. She kept running and looking back at the bitter memories she left. Her profile remained unknown to Varia. And the only reason why she was there was because the Ninth found her in the streets of Venice, protecting a young woman from a gang of drunk men. He took her in, and found out her many specialized skills

After much digging on her information, he found her real background but decided to keep it a secret with her. "Nonno Nona" Joey rolled on her back and stared at the door. "What kind of situation did you drag me into?"

-SLAM-

Her door flew open, Squalo charging in. "VOI! Get your damn ass off your bed already! I have had ENOUGH of Lussuria's moaning about you not eating!" He yelled at your face

"…" Her ice blue eyes stared at him

"VOIIIII! What are you looking at?" Squalo's voice shook the room up

Joey stuck her tongue out and aggravated the silver haired swordsman

Hence, the chase begins-

Squalo ran his sword down where Joey was. She, on the other hand, rolled over and sprung off her bed and shot out her room. Squalo hastily ran behind her, flinging his sword everywhere. She slid down the banister, jumping safely on the floor. Squalo was still tailing her, skipping 5 steps. "Hm" Joey pouted her lips and ran towards the living room

"Joey!" She heard Lussuria cheer "You're finally out of your room! I shall cook at once!" He sat up from the couch and went to the kitchen

"…" Joey remained silent, seeing Belphegor lying on the couch like always. Her eyes trailed the teal haired illusionist who was occupying a small cushioned chair, then on the large figure by Xanxus' door, Levi, who intensely stared at her.

"VOI! Where are you, trash?" Squalo kicked the door open. Joey forgot about him and felt the hair on her neck stand. "YOU!" Squalo pointed his sword at Joey, seeing her step back

"Joey! I'm done cooking!" Lussuria came back with a tray with a plate of white sauce spaghetti, a tall glass of iced tea and a platter of Danish

"Squalo! Don't point your sword at Joey!" Lussuria scolded in his high pitched voice

"VOI! Shut up! This brat stuck his tongue at me!" He turned his attention back at Joey

"It was for breaking my door down. I had every right" Joey crossed her arms, sitting on the chair's arm where Fran was sitting

"Joey-sempai, why are you all bloody?" Fran asked, poking Joey's back

"The prince did that, Fran. The so-called prince" Joey spat at Bel who remained unspoken on the couch

"VOI! Don't change the subject!" Squalo glided his sword vertically across Joey's shirt

Her eyes dilated, Belphegor shot up, Levi, Lussuria and Squalo's faces turned red and Fran remained deadpan since he couldn't see what was happening

Her chest was exposed to them, well not all, her cleavage, down, was shown. Her hands trembled with irritation, her cheeks flared with embarrassment, and her mind flew by a hundred murderous ways to make them forget what they saw

A banshee's scream follows…

**I'm sorry if it's short, hope you like it :) REVIEW BUTTON IS RIGHT THERE, MY FRIEND, IT'S RIGHT THERE. Btw, I forgot to mention that my prof pic is what my rough sketch of Joey looks like. I don't have a tablet, so it's suckish :\ **


	5. Haunted by 'HER'

**CHAPTER 5. IT IS THY BIRTHDAY (JULY 10) AND THOU SHALL DO THY BEST TO UPDATE THY STORIES AFTER.**  
><strong>…\(-_-\)… party party…<strong>

The core members of Varia stood in front of Xanxus, bruised and battered by Joey's outbreak. Joey, in a new shirt and her murderous aura on, stood, crossed armed by the door. "VOII! Boss! This little brat lied about his gender!" Squalo screamed out loud, breaking the silence. A wine bottle struck his head. "VOI! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" He shook the broken glass pieces off his head.

"I know that she's a girl, trash!" Xanxus bellowed, looking at Joey, whose head rose up to make eye contact. "WHAT" The rest dropped their jaws, except for Fran. "Why would I accept someone into the squad without reading their background?" He explained through a deafening growl. "You read my background?" Joey spoke up, hints of annoyance in her tone.

"The ninth told me to keep it a secret. And I find the information useless anyways, as for you 5, this girl is now my sister" Crimson eyes shot towards the others. "Sister?" Joey's aura dropped down along with her arms. "The old man adopted you, didn't he?" Xanxus got his wine glass and drank some of the blood red juice. "I didn't think he was serious… Should I call you Fratello[1] then?" Joey giggled with an innocent smile

Xanxus choked on his wine and looked at the girl who is supposedly his sister. "_This girl is dead now…_" Levi and Squalo thought at the same time, studying their boss' face. "And you could call me Sorellina[2]" Joey placed her arms behind her back. "Whatever" Xanxus coughed, his eyebrows knitting together. "Boss, what are we going to do now?" Lussuria asked.

"Leave" Xanxus simply answered "All of you" eyeing Levi

As they left the room, Joey immediately went up to her room. "Ah, Joey, won't you tell us a bit more of yourself?" Lussuria called out. She stopped by the 5th step and turned her head sideways. "My whole name is Josephine Giovanni, 25, _**FEMALE**_, and doesn't want to be disturbed at the moment" Joey proceeded upstairs. "Is that all? What about your background, princess?" Belphegor snickered

"Don't you DARE call me that!" Joey turned around, eyes narrowed into slits. "My background is classified and I have no intention for any of _you_ to know what it is" She snapped at them, going upstairs.

"Hm…" Fran mumbled. "What are you thinking, you un-cute kouhai" Belphegor heard his reaction. "Joey-sempai must be really pissed at his, er, her past. It kinda makes me interested in knowing what her background really is" Fran answered. "Honestly, so do I" Lussuria sighed "But the boss said the ninth told him to keep it a secret" He continued. Squalo snorted "The boss also said it was useless" Lussuria pouted "If it is useless, then why does she care so much?" Belphegor countered him, making Squalo 'tch'

"As if the Boss will allows us to read her files!" Levi inserted to the conversation. "I think it's better if we don't meddle" Squalo neared the stairs. "You're not interested?" Lussuria asked, pouting at him. "No" Squalo left them, heading to his room. "Squalo was never fun" Belphegor shrugged "VOI! I HEARD THAT!" Squalo's voice echoed above them.

"How will we find out Joey-sempai's background then?" Fran monotonously probed Lussuria and Belphegor. "I guess we have to our own little research" Lussuria sighed again. "Ushishishi~ this will be interesting" Bel sniggered, sliding his hand into the pockets of his uniform.

Joey flung herself to her bed, creating a large depression on her bed. She rolled over and gawked at the ceiling. It was 7 pm already, she hadn't eaten a single bite, but she still wasn't hungry. Her eyes roamed the room, stopping at the full length mirror. She idly sat up and walked over to it. Joey stared at her reflection, a petite girl in a baggy white shirt, khaki shorts and black sneakers.

Staring harder at her reflection, her scruffy hair turned into long tresses passing her waist. Her loose clothes turned into a pink gown and her sneakers turned into a pair of high heeled boots.

A fist smashed right at the middle of the reflection, and Joey was looking at her usual self again. Tears welled up her eyes. "I… regret nothing… I regret **ABSOLUTELY **nothing… And _YOU_ can't make think otherwise…" Joey whispered to herself.

As she retrieved her fist from the cracked mirror, shards stuck to her skin and some fell to the carpeted floor. She brushed them off her knuckles and went out to the terrace. "No matter where you are, it will always be the same sky you are looking at" Joey inclined her head towards the sky. "It's still the same damn sky I killed _you _under" Her tears dried up from the frosty wind. She leaned on the ledge and looked at the horizon.

"The only good thing about this location is that no one would think of going into the middle of a dense forest to look for some pri-person" Joey sighed deeply, gradually turning around. She went back to her bed, removed her shoes and crept in. It's been only 3 days since she joined Varia yet she still doesn't feel welcomed in her new 'home'

She closed her eyes and hoped to forget her past…

[1] Fratello = Older brother / Brother

[2] Sorellina = Little sister

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter :) REVIEWS will be a nice birthday gift for me :" Sakura Addiction was playing the whole time while I was writing this :| NEXT CHAPTER: JOEY'S PAST**


	6. Joey's past

**I WROTE THE FIRST PARAGRAPH AS MY ENGLISH CULMINATING TASK: A CHARACTER SKETCH. I USED JOEY, ER, 'JOSEPHINE GIOVANNI' AND MY CLASSMATES FOUND IT INTERESTING. HOPE YOU DO TOO :)**

**This is what I remember of it, my teacher hasn't returned my paper yet (TT^TT) I may have added or forgot some lines…**

...\(-_-)~aye!...

She roamed the castle corridors, her purple hair flowing endlessly under her waist. Her mauve locks emphasized her eyes. The ice blue irises glared at each turn. She was lost again… in her own home. She stopped for a rest. Wiping a bead of sweat, her thin fingers gently dragged across her forehead. Her nimble legs crashed to the floor in defeat. She was never going to find her way back to her room. She hated her life. Being a princess wasn't her style. Heir to her father's throne, she hated everything. She hated her life, the long, boring lectures her private tutor gives, the big, ballroom, balloon dresses, the life squeezing corsets, and she hated her family. She wanted to KILL her many enemies. Her lust for blood boiled at the sight of any criminal tried at their court. She loved the gruesome stories her lady-in-waiting told her. She loved to collect fascinating weaponry, among her collection; her favourite was a pair of chain scythes covered with slivers of diamonds. Oh how she wanted to run them down on fresh meat and watch the dark red liquid spill out through the damage she has caused. Alas, she was just a princess, expected to do her duties and hide her bloodthirsty ways. She heaved her dress up and stood. Lazily finding her way back to her chambers, her mind thought of murderous things. As she did, a satisfied smile crept up her face.

(-_O)

Joey woke up, rays of the sun spilling into her room. Her stomach growled for food. She was finally hungry. Joey got off the bed and went in the bathroom. After taking a quick shower, she brushed her teeth and dressed up, pulling on a pair of white underwear with matching strapless bra, black cycling shorts and a voluminous purple sweater that hung off one of her shoulders.

Once she slipped her ebony slippers, she went out her room, stretching her arms upwards. "Ushishishi~" Joey couldn't have her day ruined immediately. "Good morning, princess" Bel, in a red and black striped shirt and black pants, walked up behind her. "Did I not tell you to address me like that?" Joey let out a sigh. "Hm? Why are you talking like that?" Belphegor asked, noticing her change of accent and choice of words. Joey stopped in her tracks, making Bel bump her. "_Was she speaking in her English accent?_" Joey tried to remember what happened a moment ago "Josephine?" Bel teased. A vein popped and Joey turned to face Bel, a foot away. "Don't call me 'Josephine'! I utterly resent that name!" Joey slapped her mouth shut; she _was_ speaking in her English accent. "Ushishishi~ so you were in England for quite some time, heh?" Belphegor probed her.

Joey turned on her heels and walked away, going down to the kitchen. "Ushishishi~" Bel laughed, following her. "Good morning, Joey… or should I call you Josephine" Lussuria greeted, seeing her walk in and took a seat at one of the counters. "Joey. Good Morning" She blankly said, combing her fingers through her wet hair. "It's bad to leave a prince behind, princess" Belphegor came in, taking a seat beside her.

Joey rolled her eyes, lifting a knee up and rested her chin on her kneecap. "What do you want for breakfast, Joey?" Lussuria asked. "Hey, I'm the prince!" Belphegor retorted. "But you didn't make me finish my dinner the other night" Joey dully replied and looked at Lussuria "I'd like pancakes please"

"Plain?" Lussuria put his 'Kiss the cook' apron on. "Blueberry banana" Joey stated. "Okay then, and how about you, Bel?" He finally asked the storm guardian of Varia. "Whatever is fine" Bel gestured his hand, signalling Lussuria to go cook already. "Alright then!" Lussuria motivated himself and went on to grab the ingredients he needed.

"Josephine" Bel teased Joey, who shot a look at him upon hearing her name. "Why won't you tell us your history?" "Because I don't want to" "Josephine~" "Shut up" "Ushishishi~ Josephine's getting angry" "Livid" "Ushishishi~ Josephine, at least tell us why you moved to England" Joey remained silent, shifting her legs.

"Ushishishi~ fine, speak with your English accent for the whole breakfast" Belphegor leaned back at his chair. "Will you stop bugging me about my past" Joey murmured "Maybe" Belphegor chuckled "Deal" Joey brought her leg down and leaned on her chair as well

"Ushishishi~ well then, what's your full name? Is it really just Josephine Giovanni?" Belphegor interviewed her "Your name isn't really your background, mind you" He added. "My full name is Josephine Katherina Giovanni. I have no maiden name because my mother's last name was kept from me" Joey, with her English accent, replied immediately. "Why is that?" "That would be part of my past already" "Ushishishi~ is it now, very well. How did you meet the Ninth?" Belphegor continued.

"Around a year ago, I was going around Italy when I heard a scream. I followed the sound and saw a young woman being ganged up by a bunch of drunken men. I helped her, annihilating the men. It just so happens that the Ninth and his guardians were supposed to help her out but I went ahead of them. He recommended me to join Vongola, but I needed some training first. With nothing else to do, I did so" Joey sighed, remembering why she was even roaming the streets of Venice.

"Good morning, Joey-sempai" Fran appeared by the door, wearing his frog hat, a white fitting sleeveless shirt and tan cargos. "What about be, stupid frog?" Belphegor felt for a knife in his pockets. "Oh? I didn't see the fake prince here" Fran blinked. –Stab- Bel's knife flew across the room, and hit Fran's hat. "Ow~ Bel-sempai, that hurts" Fran's droning voice contradicted his statement

"Good Morning" Fran's face fell flat even more hearing the accent. "Joey-sempai, are you British?" Joey glared at Belphegor and looked back at Fran "No, dear Fran, you see, this incompetent so called prince would not stop being a nuisance to me a little while back and to make him stop, he dared me to speak in this accent. Quite juvenile if you ask me" Joey crossed her ankles together.

"Ushishishi~ someone's feeling like a princess already" Belphegor snickered, seeing her position. "…" Joey stared at her ankles and pulled them apart. "You saw nothing" She warned him, standing up and heading to the fridge. "Ushishishi~ Princess Josephine has quite a ring to it, does it not?" Belphegor turned his head to Fran. "Hai, sempai~" The illusionist agreed, nodding his head a couple of times.

"DON'T call me Princess Josephine. I'm not a princess and I don't want to be one" Joey lost her English accent. "Ushishishi~ fine, fine, Josephine" Belphegor tittered. Joey took out a carton of milk and grabbed a glass from the cupboard. "Lussuria" She called out at the determined cook. "It's Luss-nee!" He replied, flipping the pancakes with a quick wrist movement.

"Uh… Luss-nee, I'll be going to Fratello for awhile, can you keep my pancakes warm?" Joey poured some milk into the cup and placed the carton back in the fridge. "Oh, sure thing!" Lussuria cheered. "Grazie" She mumbled while taking a sip of her milk. Once she left the room, Belphegor leaned on the table and propped his chin on his palm.

"She's been in England for a long time since her accent is fluent" Bel 'hmph'd' "Bel-sempai, should we steal her file from the boss" Fran proposed, blankly staring at his sempai. "Steal from the boss? That's impossible, stupid frog" Belphegor threatened to throw a knife. "I could use my illusions and frame Levi…" the Frog hat sagged to one side. "Ushishishi~ who knew the peasant frog was smart like that" Belphegor looked over to Lussuria who was still busy making the perfect breakfast for them

"Guess it's just the two of us…" Belphegor sweat dropped. "Uhm, ano, sempai~" "What is it?" The prince irritably asked. "Bel-sempai, maybe there's a reason why Joey-sempai doesn't want her past to be known" Was the hormone-less frog getting somewhere with this statement of his? No. Bel threw a knife and frowned. "She's also upset about it. She should thank me because a prince actually went all the way to help"

"Bel-sempai~ do you like Joey-sempai?" "Huh?" The dumbstruck prince, though no one sees it, blinked. "You like Joey-sempai, since you found out that she was a girl, right?" Fran repeated. "Stupid frog. Why would a prince like a peasant like her?" "But you called her a princess, too" "SHUT up"

"Fratello~" Joey sang, knocking on Xanxus' door. "Come in" His voice boomed, disrupting the peaceful morning. "Uh, Fratello, when will I get my Varia uniform and ring?" Joey bit her lower lip. "Tomorrow" Xanxus sat in his chair, feet up on the table, already wearing his usual clothes. "Ah, okay, thank…" "Joey" "Fratello?" The guiltless blue eyes stared at the crimson eyes of the boss. "I want to talk to you about your past"

Joey's 'little sister' expression plunged to the ground. "What about it?" Her childlike voice melted into the stern tone. "Close the door" She obeyed…

**...(-_-)…**

**No one's voting :( This story will go NOWHERE without reviews and votes, so PLEASE. REVIEW AND VOTE. IT GIVES ME STRENGTH TO KEEP. MOVING. FORWARD.**


	7. Princess Josephine Giovanni

**A LONG WEEKEND! IT'S HOMESTUDY, PSH, STUDYING IS FOR SCHOOL, HOME IS FOR COOLER STUFF :) CHAPTER 7!**

**Xanxus has wants to talk about Joey's past. How will she react?**

…**(O_O)…**

"Explain" Xanxus' raspy voice affirmed. "What?" Joey frowned, hesitating to cross her arms in front of her boss. "Explain your WHOLE history. How were you able to escape the 19xx Giovanni massacre in Aerbourne[Ay-bon]?" Joey remained silent for a minute or so until her lips parted. "The reason why I was able to 'escape' is because I was the one who killed everyone in the castle…"

"My lady! Where have you been?" Her lady-in-waiting scurried towards her. "I was lost" She reasoned, walking pass the slim lady clad in green. "My lady, Lady Isabella is looking for you" She walked a good meter behind her. "Why should I care?" Her master raised a brow. "My lady, she's your sister" the Lady-in-waiting said. "And so? I have no time to play with her, my lessons are in an hour and you should know this. Isabella is a foolish little girl, though she is just a mere year younger than I"

"Why should I let go of my childhood so easily, Josephine" A naïve voice rang out of nowhere. "Show yourself, Isabella" Josephine's voice grew stern. A small head popped out of the corner, the gravity made its light blue hair, fall closer to the ground. "Good day, Josephine" She greeted, coming out of the corner, revealing her hair to be in a ponytail. "Isabella" Josephine said, disagreeing with her greeting

"Shall we play a game of hide and seek?" Isabella walked towards them, her own maid tailing her. "You're quite a bother, Isabella. I do not wish to play these games of yours. If we had an older brother, I would gladly play with you, but alas, we do not have one. Thus, play with yourself, I have my duties to fulfil and lessons to learn" Josephine tried to stride surpass her but was stopped by a slim arm.

"Josephine, please. Father would not mind a couple hours of you absence" Isabella's purple eyes looked up to Josephine's blue eyes. A short chuckle came from Josephine. "I find it amusing how my hair is your eye colour and my eye colour is your hair colour. Nevertheless, we are still very much sisters" Josephine slightly shook her head with a small smile. "So you'll play with me?" Isabella tilted her head sideward's.

"No" Josephine snapped "It is true that father does not mind a couple hours of my absence, but I have been wandering around the castle for a good 3 hours, my private lesson is in 30 minutes and after a dreadful, lack lustring lesson, I have to head over to father and discuss some matters about our kingdom"

Isabella pouted her pink lips, and crossed her arms across her chest. She was 5 inches smaller than Josephine. Her blue hair pulled up to high ponytail that stopped around her torso. "My goodness, Isabella! You're 20 years old, let go of the past and let yourself age like everyone else!" Josephine screamed, making the 2 lady-in waiting's wince. "How can I not hold on to my youth? I have no chance of the throne! It will always about YOU! Father may favour me more but you will be the heir no matter what!" Isabella snapped at her.

"Oh? So you want the throne for yourself?" Josephine raised a brow. Isabella gulped at her outburst. "You can have the throne, I want to live a rebellious life" Josephine started to saunter away. "I-I can?" Isabella stammered. "Of course, unfortunately, rules are rules, dear Isabella, I will still be the queen. Not unless I die" Josephine mocked her.

Isabella's hands balled into fists. "I bid thee farewell, I shall go to my lessons now" Josephine, contented with her sister's reaction, left, her maid quickly follow tagged along. "Gina…" Josephine softly spoke, turning to another right down the modern halls of the castle. "My lady?" Gina replied with a small smile, that she was forced to wear everyday by royal decree.

"I'm pushing through with the plans. Shall you take care of my tutor?" Josephine pressed down the creases of her dress. "As you wish my lady" Gina pulled up one of her sleeves and revealed a long, thin, plastic tube that ran up her arm. One end was attached to the tip of her middle finger, having a needle invisibly hide under her nail. "I'll head on over to Father" The young princess gave a smug expression.

"Josephine! You're tutor has been murdered! Thank heavens you're safe!" King Giovanni stood from his throne, seeing his daughter approach him. "I was lost" Josephine faked a worried smile. "I've sent guards and knights to take care of the criminal" He informed her. "Oh" Josephine hid the smile that ached to creep up her face. "Father!" Isabella came rushing in, her lady-in-waiting scurrying after her. "Isabella, you're safe!" their father exclaimed. "Father, the murderer is…"

-BAM-

Gina came bursting in, ninja stars perfectly tucked between her fingers. "Gina! How could you! Are you after Josephine?" the King boomed "Guards! Apprehend her!" As the guards approached her, she threw the stars, killing them instantly. "Have I done well?" Gina asked. "Are you insane?" the King screamed "Quite" His daughter rang behind him "Josephine, did you order her to do this… Is this a coup d'état?" the king spun around to her daughter who was smiling contentedly. "Hm? Oh, yes, I did father, but this is not a coup d'état" Josephine drew out a a pair of chain scythes. "Are you mad?" He cried, stepping away. "Without a single doubt…" A sinister smile grew on her face "Father!" Isabella cried out "Josephine! Stop! Think about our kingdom!"

"I'm doing our kingdom a favour! With Father gone, the problems will too!" Josephine threw an arm back, gripping tighter on the handle. "What on earth are you talking about?" Isabella shook, their father making an inaudible gulp. "Our father has been making deals with our enemies! He's selling those who cannot pay our ridiculously high taxes as slaves to them! With him gone, the kingdom will be at peace!" Josephine screeched. "Nonsense!" Their father retorted "NONSENSE MY ASS, FATHER. I heard every word, read every document and saw everything!"

"You just want the throne!" He bellowed "I _NEVER_ wanted the throne! Once I kill all of you, I will set everyone in our kingdom free and be one of them as well" Josephine took the train of her gown and ripped it. "Leave Isabella alone" He threw an arm before Isabella, blocking her. "I have no intention of leaving anyone alive in this castle. All must die, except me and Gina, of course" Josephine snickered at the fear in her younger sister's eyes. "I raised you well, why?" He narrowed his eyes at her. "You raised me well? Did you, now? You kept me from my own mother!" She threw the scythe at him, grazing his arm. "Ngh!" He grasped onto the wound, falling on a knee. "Josephine please, stop!"

"Don't worry, Isabella, you'll get your turn" Josephine leapt above her father and held the scythe to his neck. "Any last words?" She raised a brow. "Your mother left after Isabella was born" Josephine paused. Her face expressed confusion in every angle. "Wh-What are you talking about…" "You're mother left me because of how I treat our people. Our kingdom is dying, it was the only solution!" "Selling lives will NEVER be a solution! You could have sold these worthless so called blessings you gave us! And about my mother…" Josephine brought the edge of the scythe to his shoulder. "I guess I'm also doing her a favour"

Isabella cried at the swift motion. King Giovanni had lost an arm, writhing in pain and gagging at the sight at his disembodied arm. "Gorgeous" The insane princess referred to the blood that dripped down her weapon. "It's time to play Isabella~" She called out, acting like how her younger sister would act. Isabella stepped back, as her frightened lady-in-waiting spread her arms to protect her master. "That's not the smartest move, Rachel" Gina advised. "G-Gina…" Rachel murmured. Her gray eyes widened and blood spilled out her mouth. Josephine had punctured her stomach all the way through. "R-Rachel!" Isabella's cheeks were wet, she couldn't stop shaking. "My dear sister, no one must live to tell this tale" Josephine stepped closer to her. "Y-you think no one will notice that Aerbourne's princess is roaming around? You have the Giovanni genes and you can't take that away" Isabella inched back. "You're right…" Josephine shrugged, taking her knee length hair into a high pony and used her scythe to chop it off. The purple tresses drifted down to the ground. Isabella stared at her sister, her shaggy chin length hair, her ripped gown, and the bloodlust eyes that beamed right into hers.

"Goodbye, Isabella" Josephine raised her weapon. "AH!" Isabella flew back to dodge it, but the scythe nicked her right eye out. "Aw, look at that, you're pretty purple eye fell out" Josephine pouted, seeing the bloody white ball roll next to her. "Oh well~" She sang, watching her sister run towards the door. Josephine hurled one of the scythes in a boomerang position, trapping Isabella. "I'll say hi to mother for you" Josephine clicked on a hidden button in the handle and thorns grew out of the chain and pierced Isabella's body, killing her immediately.

"Gina, go kill the others in the castle. Make sure no one will escape" "Yes, my lady" "No… it's Joey" Gina bowed and left. "I know you're still breathing father… but not for long" Joey said, seeing Gina leave the vast room. "Your… mother… is… in… Italy…" the king's shortened breath forced the words out. "Why are you telling me this? I'm already murdering you" Joey turned to face the weakened body. "I have realized my faults… and you are right… but promise me this, Josephine…" "I will promise nothing…" "Find your mother, bring her back here and make her queen… she had great dreams for our kingdom… she will revive our country…"

"I can't… continue…" Joey's face spelt no emotions. Xanxus, cross armed and feet above the table, scoffed "Then leave" Joey nodded, and left. Closing the door behind her, she couldn't believe that she can ever feel that sensation in her eyes again. A warm tear rolled down her cheek. "I regret nothing… Nothing, damn it!" Joey murmured. "Josephine?" Bel called out. "Your breakfast is… getting cold. Are you crying?" He asked. "Shut up" Joey averted him but he grabbed her wrist and forced her to face him "What's wrong?" Bel asked. "None of your business" Joey paused, hugged him tightly then left running to her room. "Joey…?" Belphegor muttered

…**(O_O)…**

**I can't believe I made her hug him all of a sudden! THAT DOESN'T MEAN SHE LIKES HIM, KAY? I'd like to remind you guys, PLEASE VOTE AND REVIEW! VOTE FOR JOEY'S LOVE INTEREST! 3 Rowzyhan**


	8. Katherina Giovanni, Joey

**CHAPTER 8! SERIOULSY, IF I ONLY GET COUPLE REVIEWS PER CHAPTER, I WON'T WRITE. NO REVIEWS MAKE ME FEEL LIKE I'M DOING A HORRIBLE JOB AT THIS :( SO, PLEASE, REVIEW! AND VOTE FOR JOEY'S PARTNER! I'M NARROWING IT DOWN TO ****FRAN****, ****BELPHEGOR****, AND ****SQUALO. **

…**(^_^)…**

It was afternoon already. Why was it so hard for her to adjust? Hasn't she let go of her past? Did she… Did she regret **everything**? NO. "I regret nothing…" She kept repeating the phrase over and over again. "You keep saying that but from the looks of it, you do regret it" a raspy tone came from her terrace door. "You Varia members never know when to knock" Joey grumbled. "I overheard what you and the boss were talking about" Joey twirled one of her scythes, that came out of nowhere, and pointed it towards her terrace door. "How much?" Joey's eyes buried it's glare into the silver haired swordsman. "All of it" He spat, arms crossed and standing right in the middle of the door.

Joey glared at the gray eyed man. "Hearing that you're name was Josephine Giovanni, I'm sure the boss knew who you are. The Giovanni massacre was one of the greatest crimes ever committed. I wasn't sure though, so I did my own research. I never thought a runt like you was a princess of a highly acclaimed kingdom like Aerbourne" In a swift motion, she charged at him, but he countered by grabbing her wrists and making her stay put

Joey's heart started to beat fast. She couldn't believe her past weakened her so much. Hey ice blue irises clashed with the grey orbs above her. The wind was so cliché, making his silver hair brush by her. "I want to see my mother…" Joey whispered. Squalo's eyebrow rose. "But I'm afraid of the judgement she will give me. I'm sure she caught air of the news about the Giovanni Massacre. She's a very pure woman. Knowing that her own child killed her family…" Joey muttered. "Ushishishi~ what's going on here?" Bel's opened the door. "Seriously, NO KNOCKS?" Joey escaped Squalo's grasp and placed her hands on her hips.

"What are you doing with my princess, sharky?" Bel's sentence made a vein pop out of Joey's head. "VOI! I'm not doing anything!" Squalo screamed back. "Ushishishi~" Bel laughed with a hint of jealousy. "VOI!" Squalo kept screaming out loud. "SHUT UP!" Joey screeched. "When a girl is emotionally depressed, you leave her alone!" The two men flinched. "I'm not your princess" She turned to Bel "And you need to learn how to knock! ALL OF YOU! NOW GET OUT!" The two, for some weird reason, felt Xanxus' presence in her and ran away.

She went back to her bed, sitting on the edge. "Mother… I barely remember how you look like" A knock came from her open door. "What a miracle, they do know how to knock" Joey giggled. "Come in" "Joey~ you skipped another meal! You better eat up because we're going to travel to Sicily for a mission" Lussuria poked his head into her room. "FINALLY. A mission. I'll be right down" Joey cheered. "Hurry up~" Lussuria left, closing the door. "Sicily?" Joey felt like she forgot something. "What's in Sicily… that I forgot?" Joey stood up and leisurely went to eat lunch.

"Bel-sempai~ must you hit me with your knives?"  
>"Ushishishi~ of course, you un-cute kouhai"<br>"Ow~ Bel-sempai~ it hurts"  
>"Ushishishi~ should I care?"<br>"SHUT UP" Joey rubbed her temples. They were stalking outside the mansion in Sicily. Levi, Squalo, and Lussuria were at the west wing, while she was stuck with Belphegor and Fran at the right wing. "I'd rather be with Levi than you two" She grumbled, shooting the two irritated glares. Hunched over on tree branches, they waited for Squalo's signal to attack. "Ushishishi~ you know you want to be with me, Josephine" Bel teased, leaning near her. Joey left a soft groan and jumped over to Fran's branch. "Dear God, Squalo. Give the signal already!" Joey violently whispered. "Joey-sempai, the fake prince sure is irritating right?" Fran said, receiving a few knives on his hat. "Agree" Joey bluntly stated.

"Ushishishi~ don't make me hit you Josephine" Bel grinned wider. "Then hit me, I haven't felt any physical pain ever since. I may bleed, but I don't feel it" Josephine shrugged her shoulders. A large shark covered with Rain flames flew in front of the mansion. "The signal?" Fran asked, before Josephine took his collar and yelled "YES IT'S THE SIGNAL. GO!" They jumped down, Bel tailing them. The three met up with a couple of guards, armed with pistols. As Bel and Joey took them out, Fran stood by and watched. "Won't you help?" Joey screamed at the Illusionist. "Should I?" Fran tilted his head like some clueless boy. "OF COURSE YOU SHOU- Fran, watch out!" Joey darted towards him, wrapping her arms around him and spinning their bodies a hundred and eighty degrees

-BANG-

A bullet went through Joey's shoulder. "Are you alright?" Joey asked Fran, gently pushing him away, knowing Bel had killed the shooter off. "Are you?" Fran stared at the bleeding hole. "I can't feel it remember? I'll just bandage it up. You two go ahead, just in case Squalo notices nothing's happening in the East wing" Joey ushered them away. She took her black jacket off, since she doesn't have her uniform yet, and ripped the torso out. She tightly wrapped it around her shoulder and wore her jacket again. "Hmph. That bullet cost me my favourite jacket" She frowned, taking out her scythes. "P-please… don't hurt me" She heard a mature female voice quiver in front of her.

"Hm? I'm sorry, but no one can escape and tell this tale…" A painful shock vibrated through her head. "Ngh" Her hand slammed to her head, clutching on to it as she felt the feeling of pain once more. "A-are you okay?" The lady hesitated to help her. "I-I'm…" Joey looked up at the lady, dressed in a long, black and white maid uniform, and saw her eyes. Pure blue like hers, the iris was too bright, making the pupil hide under its shine. "M-M-mother?" Joey forgot about the pain in her head and dropped her hand down.

The young lady, with side swept jet black hair, fluidly resting on her shoulders, squinted her eyes. After much observing, tears welled up the blue eyes. "Josephine!" She mouthed, her shock state caging her words in. However, when Josephine started to run towards her she yelled "Stop! Y-you killed you're father and sister! Y-you killed everyone in Aerbourne! How could you? After the love your father has given you!" She stepped back. "But…" Josephine's eyes widened. How come she only realized this now? Was it the pure hate of her father's decision of not letting her know her own mother? But when she recalled that bloody night, she mostly felt happy with it… and a little… "Regret…" Joey murmured. "Joey?" the blond prince stood beside her.

She looked around. Her mother was gone. She was alone with Bel and Fran by the mansion. "Wh-where's the lady who was there?" Joey pointed to the spot where her mother stood. "We didn't see anyone" Fran said. Joey's cheeks burned up, her eyebrows scrunched up and all that was missing were…

"Joey, are you crying?" Bel saw liquid crystals trace down her cheeks. "I regret it…" She softly cried. Joey ran to Bel, hugging him. "I- I REGRET EVERYTHING! MOM! I REGRET EVERYTHING!" She bawled hugging Bel tighter. "…" Bel stared at her in shock, deliberately placing his hand on her back. Joey's eyes shot open "I… I regret it…" She repeated. Instantly, her A-class ring burst into purple flames "Ngh!" Belphegor felt the raging hot flames on his back. Joey, as if she was drunk, backed away, her hands curled like claws and her eyes covered by her hair.

"J-Joey…?"

…**(O_O) –J-Joey-chan?...**

**Chapter 8 is done, Chapter 9 is in the making : PLEASE. REVIEW AND VOTING IS STILL OPEN. IF YOU'RE READING MY FANFIC WITHOUT AN FF ACCOUNT, THEN MESSAGE ME IN TUMBLR! .com! Or in FB! Just look for RJ OhPiso! I won't add you :| kk? KK! ****REVIEW!**


	9. Gina and Lady Isabella

**CHAPTER 9! I'M DOING MY BEST TO UPDATE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!**

…**(^u^)… -that didn't turn out the way I planned it**

"_Princess Josephine doesn't heal as fast as any other human being"_

"_Oh? No wonder she her scars haven't turned into scabs yet…"_

"_But, she doesn't feel the pain. No one knows why, she just doesn't feel it. Princess Josephine is special that way"_

_Yeah, of course, I'm "special" that way. I want to know how it feels, they say it isn't nice but, how will I know if I'm dying? Should I just watch the blood spill out my body? Wait a minute, where am I?_

Joey's eyes fluttered opened, her pupils adjusting to the amount of light in the room "Where am I?" "A small infirmary in the Varia mansion, my lady" Joey stared at the ceiling for a while and trailed down to the right. "G-Gina" She recognized the brunette that sat beside the bed she was lying on. "My lady" Her lady-in-waiting smiled. "What are you doing here?" Joey struggled to sit up. "I advise you not to, my lady. You still have a gunshot wound and those scars of what it looks like to be knives and wire cuts" Gina pointed at the wounds Bel made.

"Yeah… wait! Why are you here?" Joey lied back down. "I was sent by your mother" Gina softened her voice. "M-my mother? But… how?" Joey's eyebrows knitted in disappointment. She was a murderer in her own mother's eyes. "When we got separated in Florence, I happen to see her and followed her to Sicily. I found out she was working as a personal maid to a small Mafia and pretended I was in search of a job to look after her" Gina informed the bed ridden princess.

"…" Joey stared at her and back at the ceiling. "You told her I killed father and Isabella?" She dully asked. "It's very hard to lie to your mother, and by royal decree, I can't lie to a royal member" Gina stated, her hands perfectly folded on her lap. "Then tell me, Gina, how did Varia react to your surprise visit? Surely you had to tell them everything…" Joey kept her poker face. "My deepest apologies, they would not let me in" Gina bowed her head. "I guess it was time for them to know anyways… Gina, how long have I been out?"  
>"3 days, according to Sir Lussuria" Gina promptly replied<br>"What the hell happened?" Joey almost got a stiff neck for snapping her head towards the lady by her bed  
>"According to Prince Belphegor"<br>"He made you call him 'Prince'? Typical" Joey inserted "Go on"  
>"You actually burned a hole on the back of his uniform, after that, you just started attacking every<em>thing<em> in sight, even your own comrades. You ended up hurting Prince Belphegor a lot, but Sir Fran said that you attacked him too but he didn't seem to have any scratches" Gina reported to her.

Joey frowned deeper, _she already regretted the fact she killed her father and sister, now, she nearly killed her co-members?_

"Ah, Gina, fetch me some water please..." Joey coughed  
>"Just get back when you're done apologizing to Prince Belphegor" Gina hinted a small smile<br>"Am I that readable already?" Joey sighed, sitting up with ease  
>Joey slipped out the room and hiked up to Belphegor's room<p>

Not bothering to knock, she silently opened the door and leisurely walked in. She found Bel, sprawled across his bed in a white sleeveless shirt and diamond printed boxers. Joey looked out the pitch black window. "It's nighttime…" Joey sighed, sitting on the edge of his bed. "Belphegor, I guess it's better to say this now because your asleep, I know you're just going to tease me if I do it when you're awake… I'm sorry if I hurt you that night I went… berserk" she whispered

"Ushishishi~ the princess is apologizing?" Joey impulsively turned around and found the prince leaning against the wall by his bed. "Yes" Joey scoffed at the expression plastered across Bel's face. "Apology accepted, Princess Josephine" Bel said in a teasing voice. "Will you not…" Joey ended her sentence with a sigh. "I said I'm sorry already so I'll go" Joey sat up, to be stopped by a strong grip around her wrist. "The prince doesn't want the princess to leave" Bel pouted. "Well the princess wants to leave the prince so," Joey mocked Bel's pout and harshly retrieved her hand "The princess will go" She deviously beamed at him, leaving him to laugh his ever sexy "Ushishishi~"

As Joey got out of Bel's room, she slapped her forehead for what she had done. Did she just refer to herself as "princess"? She will never hear the end of this from Bel. Before Joey could even make another step, Fran's bedroom door opened and the said illusionist came out. "Oh. Joey-sempai, you're awake" "Yeah…" Joey gawked at Fran's hair. He didn't have his Frog hat on. "Joey-sempai?" Fran made her realize she was staring at him "Hm? Oh, you look better without the Frog hat but cuter with it" Joey chuckled and left him by his door "…" the teal haired illusionist opened his door wider and stared at the Frog hat that was placed on his bed

"Goooooood Morning Joey!" Lussuria greeted like a grade school-er. "Good… Morning" Joey rubbed her eyes, since she woke up around midnight, she forced herself to sleep again but it turned out, when she finally did, it was 5 am… and try to be the type of person who wakes up exactly at a certain time, maybe, I don't know… 7 am? Joey wakes up at 7 to do some exercise. A princess- er- girl has to work out right?

"Ushishishi~" Bel snickered as a greeting, earning narrowed eyes from Joey. "Not a word, Bel, not a SINGLE word" She warned, sitting down on the other side of kitchen table. Fran came in, hair dripping wet under his frog hat. "Fran! How do you expect your hair to dry like that?" Joey asked, in a worried tone. "It will eventually dry right?" Fran stopped before sitting down a couple seats away from Joey. "Remove the hat" Joey ordered him. "No, the hat stays on~" Bel countered, throwing a knife at the hat. "Bel!" Joey reprimanded him, standing up and taking the knife out of the hat. "Thank you, sempai~" Fran gave a thumbs up to Joey.

"Ushishishi~ the prince says the hat stays"  
>"And the PRINCESS says it won't"<br>"The prince wants it to stay!"  
>"The princess doesn't"<br>"Only the prince can order the frog"  
>"But only the princess can boss anyone"<br>"The Princess can't boss me~"  
>"The princess' fratello will~"<p>

The two snapped out of the heated argument and became conscious about the fact they were 5 inches apart, cross armed and at the far end of the table. "…" "Ushishishi~"

"Oh my, isn't it too early in the morning to be arguing?" Lussuria placed a hand on his cheek after serving breakfast. "Lussu- Luss-nee, where's Gina?" Joey returned to her seat. "I told her to take a rest and assured her I'll be taking care of you while she's asleep" Joey heaved a sigh and whirled the spoon in the bowl of cereal. "Something wrong Joey?" Lussuria sat beside her. "I'm just glad that Gina's here but… I'm just anxious…" "Anxious? How, Princess?" Bel joined their conversation. Joey shifted her gaze only to Bel and shrugged. "I just feel anxious, uneasy and…" Joey couldn't find the right word to say. It was on the tip of her tongue yet she can't say it. "And?" Lussuria took a sip of his coffee. "I don't know" She shrugged once more.

"Ushishishi~ the princess is lost for words because of the presence of a prince" Bel inserted, destroying the current mood. "Shut up, Bel" Joey jabbed a spoonful of corn flakes into her mouth. "Princess~ fancy a game with the prince?" "NO" "Ushishishi~" "Awww, how cute of you two!" "It's not cute, Luss-nee" "Ushishishi~" "Shut up, Bel"

Fran watched his sempai's, Belphegor laughed at how Joey would react to Lussuria's remarks about how cute the two were. A troubling sensation prickling his chest, was he jealous? No… right? Fran sat down and tried to ignore them but he couldn't help peer over to Joey who was in no doubt livid towards Bel right now. Hasn't she always? Fran contemplate on this and came to focus on the detail on how Joey would always talk back to Bel. She doesn't love him. He obviously does. So, that means he has a chance… or he can if he knew what to do.

"That's it, from now on Fran will be my best friend!" He heard his name ring off her lips. "Eh?" His bright green eyes looked up at Joey. "It sounds gay, I know, but until you get off my case, Fran will be my best friend! Meaning, if you mess with him, you're messing with me" Joey threatened. As a reply Bel frowned and plopped his chin on his palm "That's unfair~" He pouted. "Joey, wouldn't that make him your brother?" Lussuria said, finishing his coffee. "Do you think Fratello would like it if Fran was my brother, making him, his brother as well?" Joey kept a straight face as one of her eyebrows slightly arced. "Hm" Lussuria shook his head and took his mug and Joey's bowl and brought it to the sink. "With that, I will go to Fratello and get my Varia ring and uniform" Joey pushed her chair under the table and left the room.

"Fratello~" Joey knocked on his door. "IN" He replied. Joey came in, quickly closing the door behind her. "Fratello, I…" Gina was kneeling on the floor, in front of Xanxus' table. "Gina, why are you..." "My lady, forgive me" Gina bowed towards her. "Tell her everything you told me, scum" Xanxus viciously spat at Gina. "My Lady, I'm afraid I have led someone, who is seeking revenge to you, here. Forgive me" Gina bowed once more. "Who is it?" Joey grew curious instead of being furious like Xanxus or scared like what a normal princess would be. "I have no clue, my lady. But speculations say that whoever it is has been looking for you for a long time already, he/she is also the reason why I separated from you 2 years ago. I was hoping I would get to them before they got to you. I am truly sorry for this, my lady" Gina lowered her head. "Don't be, Gina. If they want to kill me, then let's see them try~" Joey giggled in a maniacally way.

"By the way, Fratello~ where's my ring and uniform?" She turned to Xanxus. "I told them to bring it up to your room, as for your ring" Xanxus opened a small wooden box that bore the Varia logo as a cover on top of his desk, took out the Varia cloud ring and tossed it over to Joey. "Thank you, Fratello~ Come, Gina, let's see if the uniform fits me!" Joey waved at Xanxus and left the room with the door open. Gina stood up, bowed at Xanxus and followed after her master, not forgetting to close the door as quietly as possible

"WHY IS MY UNIFORM LIKE THIS?"  
>"It suits you well, my lady" Gina held back a giggle<br>Joey stared at her reflection. She wore the regular Varia jacket and knee high boots that resembled the uniforms pant legs with thigh high black socks. But her pants were… a ruffled skirt… "Gina!" Joey blushed in embarrassment. "Then just wear black shorts under them, you look fine, my lady" Gina walked over to her drawer and took out a pair of black cycling shorts. "But" A knock disturbed them. "Joey~ we are all asked to go to the living room immediately, it's about a client" Lussuria's voice echoed in her room. "I have to change first!" Joey sighed "The boss might get mad!" "FINE" Joey stomped out her room.

"Kyaaaa~ you're so" "Don't say it!" Joey covered her ears, walking down the stairs. Lussuria and Gina giggled together and followed after her. "So, what does the client want?" Joey removed her hands form her ears and skipped going down the stairs. "She hasn't said anything yet. She wanted to see every member first" Lussuria shrugged. "Well, isn't she picky" Joey said, opening the living room door. "Well, I am, aren't I, Josephine?" a familiar irritating voice purred. Gina's jaws dropped as Joey's eyes grew wide. "How are you, Josephine?" Isabella Giovanne, alive and well, sat in one of the couches. She wore the same dress she was in when Joey had killed her, of course, the blood stains and cuts were not there. She had a black eye patch cover the empty socket which Joey had taken care of.

"…" Joey was speechless; did she fail in killing her sister? No, she saw her until her very last breath. "What's wrong, Josephine? Surprised to see me here, breathing?" Isabella laughed. "Joey, who is she?" Bel skipped his laugh asked right away. "Joey" Xanxus sat across Isabella, feet on the coffee table and arms crossed. "Isabella Giovanne. My supposedly dead sister" Joey's emotions dropped down to deadpan. "Supposedly?" Fran repeated. "I thought I killed her 4 years ago" Gina took a couple of steps forward and readied herself for any sudden attack.

"You did, Josephine. You successfully killed me but, hours after you left my corpse, a handsome angel came to me and granted me life so I may seek revenge" Isabella hugged herself. "So you came here to kill me?" Joey chuckled for a short moment. "Yup~ and I got some people surround the house and make sure you can't escape" Isabella cheered. "Gina, remember how I couldn't fall back asleep last night and decided to roam around?" "Yes…" "Lussuria, remember how I feel anxious awhile ago?" "Yeah…" "Well, last night, I knew someone was after me so I set up a trap outside, just in case. Now, let's see if it works" Joey walked over to the window and grabbed hold onto a small wire "Hey! Is that mine?" Belphegor screamed at her. Joey tugged on it and the next thing they heard were cries of pain.

"But… how?" Isabella was once again outsmarted by her sister. "Pythagorean Theory. Who knew that worthless tutor Father hired would come in handy" Joey laughed.

"S-so you killed almost half of my men… but you didn't kill my lady-in-waiting and butler!" Isabella cried out, summoning the two servants to bust inside the room. "Meet Reina and Marco! Siblings from a neighbouring kingdom who heard my story and decided to help me seek vengeance" Isabella jumped up and landed behind them pulling out a scythe. "So it's 3 against me" Joey shrugged, pulling out her chain scythes "How unoriginal of you to take my weapon, Isabella" Joey remarked. "You don't own the weapon, Josephine" Isabella retorted "Even though, Isabella" –BANG- Xanxus had fired his X-Guns towards the ceiling. "Shut it, scum, you're not fighting alone, you're part of Varia and whether we like it or not, Varia has your back" Xanxus hissed. Joey smiled, "Well then, Isabella, shall we begin?"

**BOOYAH. 2,500+ words. PSHAAAAW AT XANXUS LAST SENTENCE :))) REVIEWS PLEASE. I PLAN THIS FANFIC WOULD END AT JOEY'S PREGNANCY? WHOOOOOOPS, SPOILER ALERT! ONCE AGAIN, REVIEWSSSS! You may still vote :**


	10. Sibling Rivalry

**EXAMS IN A WEEK. OHMYGOD. WHAT ABOUT THE FANFIC? I WILL UPDATE, NO WORRIES. MY PARENTS DON'T RESTRICT ME FROM THE LAPTOP. EVER. SO, I WILL UPDATE :)**

…**(.O) – Chapter 10…**

Everyone had their weapons out, Isabella had the mist flames, Reina had the rain attribute, Marco wielded the flames of the storm, and Gina had an A-class lightning ring. "3 against 7 isn't fair~" Isabella scowled. "7? Where's Squalo?" Joey noticed how quiet it was because of the absence of the shark. "A solo mission" Lussuria replied. "Bossu, I shall protect you!" Levi declared, releasing his electric ray out of his box weapon. "I said it's unfair!" Isabella screeched, as 50 men with variety sky flames came charging in the living room. "Froggy, are they?" Bel turned to the illusionist. "They're illusions, a low rank" Fran answered. Isabella blushed furiously "I'm a beginner, DAMMIT-!" Joey's chain scythe nicked Isabella's cheek. "Obviously~" Joey purred, catching the unconnected chain scythe she threw at her sister. "I never thought I'd enjoy seeing _our_ blood again" Joey banged the two mini scythes, end to end, and connected their chains. With that, the fight begins; Xanxus remained in seat, letting Levi protect him.

Joey had released her mist butterflies, using them to secretly attack her sister from behind. Their scythes clashed together. "I may not know who to make real illusions but I know when someone will attack me from behind" Isabella pushed herself forward to Joey. "Oh really?" Joey asked, raising an amused brow. Isabella writhed in pain, receiving 3 knives on her back. "Princess!" Reina cried, attacking Bel. "Ushishishi~" Bel laughed at the futile attack of Reina, who violently jumped up at him and attempted to cut off his head using her rain flame covered axe.

"There's that time when I need to release my cloud box weapon" Joey ignited her new Varia ring and brought her cloud box weapon out. "This will be interesting…" Isabella sniggered, furtively bringing her own box weapon out. "Open… Box~" Retrieving her hand, her box open and bright purple flames spilled out the room. "Stheno!" Joey called out. The room was outlined by an enormous white and lavender, diamond pattern, snake. "Sssss" The snake hissed, allowing Joey to sit on top of it. "That… that thing's huge…" Isabella had a small fear of snakes. "**SHE** is a beautiful snake, and if you're smart, Isabella, you would heed my warning and withdraw now, before I surely kill you" Joey, in her English accent, narrowed her eyes at her.

"N-NO!" Isabella thrust her mist ring into her and released her weapon. A small chameleon landed on Isabella's arm. "Ahaha! What an adorable animal, dear sister! It looks A LOT like you~" Joey hooted. The chameleon snarled at her and bore its teeth. "Do they even have teeth?" Joey asked Gina, who landed beside her on Stheno's head. "Her box weapon is a genetic mutation, unlike yours, which grew because of the cloud propagation ability" Gina explained. "Oh, so your snake is only because of your flames?" Isabella raised her scythe above her chest. "And so? It's not an illusion like that" Joey took a shuriken from Gina and threw it at one the illusions her sister made. "Oi! That was my target!" Bel screamed. "Suck it up!" Joey retorted. Isabella heaved her scythe above her head and lunged at Joey. Gina continued battling with Marco and Joey fell back.

She lost footing, it was a good thing someone caught her. "VOI! Why didn't anybody invite me?" Squalo yelled. "Sq-Squalo!" Joey palely blushed, clutching on to a part of his uniform. "Ushishishi~ Squalo, that's my princess" Bel proclaimed. "Tch, then have her!" Squalo threw her to Bel, who caught her like a princess. "Put me down Bel" She frankly said. "Why didn't you make Squalo do that awhile ago?" Bel moped. "Because I was in a state of shock!" Joey squirmed until Bel dropped her. "H-Hey, watch out!" Joey pulled Bel's leg, making him topple over her as 5 spears passed through where his body was a second ago.

"Th-thank you…" Bel coughed. "Don't mention it" Joey rubbed her eye after some dust stung it. "Not's the right time to have a lovey dovey scene, Josephine" Isabella stepped down a couple feet away from them. "Ushishishi~" Bel teasingly laughed at Joey, who pushed his head to the floor with her hand. "Not now, Bel! Where were we, Isabella?" Joey dusted her skirt off. "Your death~" Isabella hummed. Joey turned her scythes back into metal rods and hid the chain in them. As the two metal rods connected, a larger scythe blade slid out the top. "Let's fight, scythe against scythe, sister against sister" Joey twirled the weapon like an expert. "Shall we dance, my sister?" Isabella brought her weapon to her side. "We shall" Joey and Isabella collided with each other, blade to blade, they pushed their weapons forward.

"That Bel boy is cute, isn't he, Josephine?" Isabella whispered over to Josephine. "Hm? Yeah sure…" Joey gave her sister the most unconvinced expression ever. "You don't think so?" Isabella swung her scythe downwards, her sister countering it with her weapon. "No" Joey spat. "Thank God. He's really cute, I quite like him, Josephine. Can I have him?" Isabella pushed Joey and jumped back. Joey remained silent as Isabella attacked once more. "I'll be his princess, He'll be my prince and we'll start a family and rule over Aer…" Isabella went flying across the room. "Feisty, now, aren't we, Josephine?" "Shut up" Joey's mist ring and cloud ring ignited at the same time. "Oh?" Isabella watched Joey get engulf in purple and indigo flames. Stheno grew small and circled her master and the mist butterflies as well. "What the…" everyone in the room stopped their battles and watched the ex princess disappear within the flames. "Oh crap…" Squalo remembered what happened when he cut her shirt. "We're all in trouble now!" Lussuria cried. The flames burst and all had to avert their eyes. Each enemy were bound by mini Sthenos and butterflies. "GET. OUT. Isabella, I'm giving you a chance to escape death once more. Leave" Joey shadowed her eyes with her bangs. "And if I don't?" Isabella's voice shook. Joey raised her hand and snapped. 10 men that have been tied up by Stheno exploded. "Though they are illusions, it can still very much kill you… Shall I take out more until it's your turn?" Joey asked; her head still bowed down. "I-I'll take your warning, but promise me we will battle again, dear sister. "I promise" Joey quickly replied. "If so, release us" Isabella stretched her arms after Stheno and the butterflies returned to their respective boxes. "Farewell, Josephine" Isabella waved as if nothing happened and let Marco break a hole on the wall leading outside. Her minions followed after her leaving the Varia members and Gina.

"My lady?" Gina approached her with caution. "I can't kill her, not with the knowledge of my mother resenting me for killing them. I'll let her live" Joey sighed. "Joey" Xanxus grumbled. "I'm sorry for the damage my sister has caused. I'll pay for it" "Not that. Are you okay?" Xanxus stood up, Levi put his hands in front of him as if Xanxus was going to fall any minute and he will be the one to catch him. "Yeah. It's just drama" Joey looked down on her boots and looked back at Xanxus. "I don't like my uniform" She flatly stated. "Ushishishi~ your uniform looks good on you, Josephine" Bel complimented. "Hai, sempai~" Fran nodded. "Told you so~" Lussuria added before Squalo 'tch'd' her.

"Bear with it" Xanxus headed towards the door leading to his office. "But…" Joey was in no mood to argue anymore. "Fine" She sighed, sitting down on the couch. "_Why did I go berserk when she said that?_" Joey leaned back and stared at Belphegor. "Problem, princess?" Bel teasingly asked. "No. My sister likes you" Joey shrugged. "Ushishishi~ everybody likes the prince, right, Gina?" Bel turned to the combat maid, who respectfully nodded. "I'm going to my room. Gina, bring me some juice" Josephine dusted her skirt and left the room. "Hey, Gina" the lady in waiting turned her attention to the blond prince. "Can you tell us more about our little princess?"

"What would you like to know?" Gina reverently replied. "Why is she so mad at her sister?" Fran interrupted the prince, receiving well over 5 knives on his hat. "Lady Josephine and Lady Isabella were not like this before; they were quite devoted to each other's company, safety and well being" "Oh my, what happened?" Lussuria placed his hand on his cheek. "When Lady Josephine came of age, her father had already dragged her into Royal duties and made her take 15 hour lessons from a private tutor so she can catch up with her studies. Lady Isabella had faded from Lady Josephine's mind"

"15 hour lessons, that's more than 5 hours of a usual student. Even rich asses should know that" Squalo sat down on an armchair. "In that time, King Giovanne had troubles concerning rival countries and started to sell those who cannot pay taxes to them. When Lady Josephine became aware of this, she was furious and planned his death" Gina's tight high pony strained her face, emphasizing her brown eyes. "Joey-sempai doesn't seem like the type to be so compassionate about other people" Fran said. "You don't know Lady Josephine. She can be quite a mother sometimes, I once got sick and she immediately rushed to my aid" Gina smiled.

"Ushishishi~ seems like my princess has yet to reveal her real self to us~" "Prince Belphegor" Gina called his attention. "Hm?" "Please let Lady Josephine some space, I can tell she's not in good conditions towards you. Have you done something that may have displeased her?" "I'm a prince~ all my actions are pleasing" Bel cockily said. "If you say so, please excuse me" Gina bowed down and left the room "Bel-sempai, HAVE you done something to Joey-sempai?" Fran turned to him. "I don't think I have" Bel gesticulate his shoulders.

"My lady, your juice…" Gina entered the room and found her master jumping on the bed. "I'm practicing how to jump around in this damn skirt" Joey explained, watching the skirt ride up and expose her black shorts. "You'll get used to it" Gina held back a giggle. "I better" Joey kept hopping up and down, trying to control her skirt. "My lady, do you like Prince Belphegor"

"**WHAT?**"

**HOORAAAAAH. REVIEWS PLEASE :) VOTES ARE STILL OPEN FOR JOEY'S LOVE INTEREST, DON'T WORRY, THOSE WHO WERE OUTNUMBERED BY VOTES, SHE'LL GET A LITTLE LOVE TIME WITH THEM ;;)**


	11. Dense Much?

**CHAPTER 11. **

Joey practically lost her balance. Flailing her arms around, Gina held out hers to catch her just in case. "Where on earth would you get that idea? Did Bel get to you? HELL NO" She screamed, returning to her paused activity. "Forgive me, Lady Josephine" Gina bowed down, laying the glass of juice on the nightstand as Joey stared outside.

Why did her heart beat fast when she thought of Bel? Was it because she's been bouncing up and down her bed? NO. Maybe her sister's words just got to her. At that moment, she remembered her first kiss. "DAMN IT" she screeched, jumping off the bed and taking her orange juice from the nightstand. "Lady Josephine" "Hm?" Joey glanced over to Gina "Your cheeks are red" Joey placed a hand on them, feeling it's more than usual warmth. **CUE SPIT TAKE**. "I… I'm sick, I'll get some medicine, clean my mess up…" She lied, wiping her mouth. Was this because of that incident with Bel? Cursing under breath, she left her room and bumped into Fran.

"Ah, sorry Fran…" "It's okay, Joey-sempai" Fran said. "Why call me sempai? Aren't you just a couple years younger? Just call me Joey or Jo" Her mood softened when she sees his green(**?**) eyes. "Jo?" Fran blinked. "Ah, my father was disappointed that I wasn't a boy so he started calling me Jo instead, but he warmed up to my gender later on" She laughed. "Jo-sempai" Fran tested. "No 'sempai', Fran" Joey brought out her poker face. "It feels wrong, sempai~" Fran complained with his monotonous tone. "Fine, fine" Joey sighed.

"Are you looking for Bel-sempai? He's in his room" "NO" Joey remembered why she came out of her room. "Jo-sempai, did Bel-sempai do anything to you?" Fran questioned. "…"

"_You'll be the prince's new toy~_"

"Yes. He did" Her eye twitched at the thought. "Jo-sempai, do you like Bel-sempai?" Fran made a vein popped on her forehead. "Why does everyone think that? No" Joey exasperated. "Well, you react too much when he's flirting with you" Fran speculated. "I do?" Why couldn't she remember her actions around Bel? "By the way, Jo-sempai, our stupid squad captain said we'll have to eat dinner already so we can leave early tomorrow"

"Squalo? Why are we going to Japan?" "He said something about the tenth's funeral" Joey's face grew concern. She met his dad in CEDEF while she trained under his supervision since the ninth… was in a better place. "Ushishishi~ what's with the noise out here?" Bel threw a knife intended for Fran but instead hit Joey. "…" She stared down at the floor and started to head downstairs. "Jo-sempai?" "I'm just gonna ask Fratello some questions" Joey felt for the knife on her back and threw it back at Bel. "Ushishishi~ I'm starting to appreciate your blue blood, princess" Bel brought the knife up to his lips. "Enjoy it then, I don't give a damn" Joey chuckled, skipping down. "Bel-sempai, Jo-sempai said you did something to her" Fran tattled to him. "Hm? I did not" Bel retorted. "That's what she said, sempai" Fran shrugged

"Fratello?" Joey knocked on his door. "Come in" Xanxus lazily replied. "Fratello, about Sawada's death…" "I don't know what happened to that piece of trash. But I'm sending you, Squalo, Belphegor and Fran as representatives. I'm not coming because sources say there's a new Mafia family about to attack. That's also the reason why Lussuria and Levi aren't coming" Xanxus immediately explained. "What? You're sending us out there while you and the others are in possible danger?" Joey crossed her arms. "You don't need to worry, they're not on the move yet, so once the funeral is over, head back here" Xanxus took his wine glass and spun his chair around to face the window. "Good night, Fratello"

"Joey, do you like Bel?" "What? Even you, Fratello? NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT" Joey yelled. "IT WAS JUST A DAMN QUESTION" Xanxus vigorously rotated his chair back to her. "A DAMN QUESTION THAT'S BEEN ASKED TO MANY TIMES!" Joey stormed out his office. "Tch. Maybe we're related"

As Joey went out, she stopped to lean on the wall. With her hand trailing up her left chest, she stared down on the floor. Was she in love in Bel? But her blood boiled when she sees him. "Crap" Joey shook her head, as if it would help in clearing her mind. She started to run upstairs. In the process, she bashed into Fran and both fell down, backwards. Fran froze, seeing how his face was inches away from hers. "Ah, Fran, are you okay?" Joey didn't seem to mind their position. "H-hai" Fran sat up "Sorry, Jo-sempai" "Its fine, Fran…" Joey snapped her hand towards Fran and caught 3 knives.

"Ushishishi~ that's my princess, stupid frog" Bel warned Fran. "I'm not yours! Stop being so possessive of me! NO ONE OWNS ME" Joey screamed at him, standing up. "Hey! What did I do to you?" Bel retorted. "A lot more than you think!" Joey ran to her room. "VOIII! WHAT'S THE NOISE OUT THERE?" Squalo rammed the dining room door down. "Bel-sempai?" Fran watched him sullenly walk past him and in the dining room. Squalo shot a questioning look at Fran who answered back with a shrug

In Joey's room, her arms were wrapped around Gina, her head shoved into her neck. "Why am I like this?" She yelled, tightening her hug around Gina. "My lady…" Gina gets hurt when her master is inflicted with too much pain.

"_Gina!" A teary eyed, 5 year old Josephine came rushing to the ten year old. "What's wrong princess?" She instinctively asked with concern. "I-I thought you left me!" The young Josephine cried as she pulled Gina into a hug. "I'm not leaving your side, Princess Josephine. I was raised to be your servant and die for you" Gina hugged back. "NO! You will not die! Gina, you're my best friend!" Josephine pushed her back "I, Josephine Giovanni, hereby declare that you, Gina Armstrong, will never leave my side and die while I still live in your presence!" Josephine tapped both Gina's shoulders. "I do, your majesty" Gina played along_

**Do you guys want Gina to end up with someone? Then VOTE! Do you want Isabella to end up with someone? THEN VOTE! Do you like this story? THEN REVIEW IT! Do you hate this story? THEN REVIEW IT AND HIDE CUZ IMMA BE AFTER YOU :)**


	12. Omake

**15 year old Joey's POV**

She escaped Father once more, how exhilarating it is to tour Italy on your own. Hiding her neatly fixed bun under her black hooded cape, Joey removed her heels and stuck the straps to the garter around her thigh that held up her stockings. "Sorella, take me with you!" Joey heard Isabella crawl up behind. "Quickly, Isabella!" She took her hand and scurry into the crowd.

"They left again, Master" Gina whispered over to their father. "Ah, the spirit of adventure is well enkindled within them, watch over them, Gina, Rachel" The said servants bowed and quickly followed them.

"Sorella, Italy is beautiful!" Isabella gripped on to her sister's hand while using her free hand to tighten her own hood to hide herself. "And this is just the urban part of Italy, Isabella!" Joey enthusiastically said.

-BANG-

"What?" Isabella asked, as Josephine pulled her to her chest. "Our Ladies!" Rachel and Gina came rushing to them. "Let's go!" They said. "No!" Joey protested seeing a man on the ground. "That man needs help!" Joey ran towards the victim. "My lady!" Gina cried. Joey accidentally bumped into someone. "Forgive me…" Joey glanced at the blond male she hit and ended up staring at him.

The same goes for the full banged male who wore a tiara. "**Do… I know you?**" They asked at the same time. "Bel, what are you doing? Let's go" A floating baby hovered beside him. "Mammon?" Joey blinked at the baby. "Aren't you…" "My lady, please, we must leave!" Gina took Joey and pulled her away. "Gina, did that blonde boy look familiar to you?" Joey said, catching up to the same pace as her servant. "No, my lady" Gina replied, slowing down as they reach her father. "Oh…" Joey looked back.

"Hey Mammon, who was that?" Bel lifted his arms and placed his hands on his nape. "An old customers daughter. Most of my money came from them" Mammon answered. "She looks familiar… did you have a picture of her in your room or something?" Bel continued on. "Of course not. Once my job is done with a customer, it's the last I see them unless they hire me again" Mammon said. "Ushishishi~ well she looks a bit too familiar to me" Bel snickered, looking back

**More OMAKES to come ;;)**


	13. Confession

**CHAPTER 12. HELL WEEK. EXAMS. CHFEKY.**

…**t****(I_It****)**

…

"Lady Josephine, please, calm down" Gina's instinct made her eyes tear up at the scene of her master wailing in her arms. "I-I just can't…" Joey's body shook. "Shh… Lady Josephine, you have yet to learn more things" Gina slowly pushed her away. "And I cannot teach it, Lady Josephine; someone else is entitled for that" Gina's green eyes looked into Joey's wet blue eyes. "Who?" She sniffed. "That, my lady, is up to you… Now, if I heard correctly, you're leaving early tomorrow?" Gina extended an arm and pointed towards the bed. "Oh… okay" Joey removed her clothes as Gina handed her black night gown. Slipping on the knee length night gown, she lied down on her bed. "Gina, where are you sleeping?" Joey asked while Gina pulled a quilt above her chest. "Lussuria has instructed me to take the room beside yours" she replied, taking her leave. "Good night, Gina…" Joey whispered. "Good night, my lady" Gina turned to bow and head outside.

"Is she asleep?" Gina looked up and saw Xanxus, probably heading to his room at the end of the hallway. "About to" Gina answered with a small bow "Do you wish to speak to her?" Xanxus slowly shook his head "Let her sleep" Gina nodded and headed towards the room Lussuria had asked her to stay in. "Hey" She turned back at him. "Come with me to my room" Xanxus walked down the hall and opened the door to his room "NOW" Gina knew what he was about to do. She wasn't scared, usually, when men acted like that towards here, they'll be dead in seconds flat. But since her master looked up to him as an older brother, she obeyed.

Closing the door behind her, Gina stepped a little more inside. "Get over here" Gina didn't hesitate and let him grab her by wrist and kiss her on her neck. "Why aren't you protesting?" Xanxus pulled away. "You are a standing as Lady Josephine's older brother… and with those looks… why should I?" Gina's guiltless face grew a smirk. "Good" Xanxus greedily kissed her.

…

…

"My lady, wake up" Gina shook Joey, who was curled up in her bed. "Hm? Oh yeah… I got to leave early…" Joey looked at Gina. Her usually tidily brushed hair was messed up, her nude lipstick smudged across her cheek, her custom maid uniform was a bit torn and looked as if she didn't take time to fix it. AT ALL. "Why are you all… OH MY GOD. WHO?" Joey sat up. "P-pardon?" Gina pressed the creases of her skirt down and combed her hair with her slim fingers. "You can't hide anything from me, Gina!" Joey crossed her arms and pouted. "I'm sorry, Lady Josephine" She shamefully bowed for trying to deceive her. "Jo-sempai~ breakfast" Fran knocked on her door. "Ugh. When I get back, you will tell me EVERYTHING" Joey got up and changed to a pair of shorts and black tank top. Gina followed her out until her door. From there, she went to her room to change her clothes.

"Good Morning" Joey yawned at Fran. "Good morning, sempai" Fran replied, walking down with her. As they reached the kitchen, they found Squalo and Belphegor already eating breakfast. "Hurry up!" Squalo said, gulping down a glass of water. Fran took a seat by Squalo, making Joey silently curse at him. Joey slowly approached the empty seat by Bel and sat down, silently starting to eat. "My Lady, should I go with you?" Gina entered the room, dressed in a new uniform. "I don't know, ask Fratello" Joey shrugged, not noticing Gina gulp. "O-Okay, my Lady" Gina bowed down. "Ah, never mind" Joey stopped her. Gina let out a breath of relief. "Stay here with Fratello" The sentence made her sweat drop. "Y-yes, Lady Josephine" Gina went out of the room.

"That's for trying to hide things from me" Joey returned to eating her breakfast. "What?" Squalo raised his head to her. "She slept with Fratello" She said, making them all spit out their food. "WHAT? BOSS SLEPT WITH THAT MAID?" Squalo screamed out loud. "Hey! Don't say it like that!" Joey defended "Gina's very beautiful and I'm not surprised that Fratello took interest" she added. "That's just disgusting" Belphegor inserted, making Joey looked over at him. With an instant eye contact, they withdrew their gazes back at their food. Squalo shot a curious look at Fran, who shrugged as an answer.

….

They boarded the private Varia jet and prepared to take flight. "We should be in Japan in 2-3 days" Squalo informed them, leaning back at the inclined airplane seat. The other 3 stared out the window. It was awkwardly silent because of Bel and Joey. Waist deep in thoughts, Joey pulled her legs close to her chest and hugged them, knowing she was wearing shorts under her skirt. She wasn't okay with his silent treatment. He's been avoiding her since breakfast and would keep a distance of no less than 3 meters. Staring at the messy blond hair beside her, she sighed. Damn guilt.

Joey unbuckled her safety belt and headed to the bathroom. She cupped her hands under the open faucet and threw the water to her face. "I shouldn't have let Gina" Joey wiped her face with her sleeves. "Here, Jo-sempai" Fran appeared by the open door and stretched his arm, holing a small towel. "Thank you…" Joey took the towel and proceeded to wiping the rest of her face. "Jo-sempai, what's wrong with you and Bel-sempai?" He asked. "Ask him" Joey didn't seem to have an angry tone upon hearing Bel's name. "I did, he just threw knives at me" Fran showed his back, a little over 5 knives were stick to his back.

"Let me help you with that" Joey removed the knives, a bit surprised that he wasn't wincing. "Jo-sempai, I like you" Fran stated, out of the blue. "I like you too, Fran" Joey dumped the knives in the sink. "No, I like you. More than a sempai, sempai" Fran turned to face her. "…" Joey blinked at the green eyes. "I'm sorry for what I'll do next…" Fran said and leaned forward, kissing her. She unconsciously kissed back, placing a hand on his cheek. They pulled away at the same time, deadpan expressions painted on both faces. Within a couple more seconds of staring at each other, a small smile grew on both faces.

"We-we got to back to our seats, they might suspect something" Joey tittered. "Do we have to?" Fran tediously asked. "Silly Fran" Joey blushed, ushering him out and back to their seats. "VOI! Where were you two?" Squalo scolded them. The two briefly looked at each other and turned their heads back to Squalo. "We had sex" They dully joked before Bel choked on nothing. "VOII! DON'T JOKE LIKE THAT" Squalo went crazy on his seat while Joey laughed.

…**..**

They arrived in Namimori in 2 days. They rode a taxi towards the Vongola underground base. "I've been in Japan only once, but I never got to tour the place" Joey spoke to herself, unintentionally talking to the rest. "What were you doing here?" Fran asked. "I can't remember" Joey shrugged "But I know how to speak Japanese"

Dropped off at one of the hidden entrances, they entered the base. "Hey there, Squalo" They met up with Takeshi Yamamoto. "We're sent as representatives. Condolences" Squalo's voice softened. "His coffin is in the middle of the forest. Hayato said he would have wanted it to be there" Takeshi led them to the briefing room, seeing the other guardians and some other people, sitting around a large table.

"I didn't expect to see Varia come" Hayato spat at them "VOI! AT LEAST WE CAME!" Squalo retorted. "I see you have new members" Ryohei referred to the two shorties behind Squalo. "That's Fran and Joey" He simply introduced. "How's Varia so far, Fran?" Ryohei asked Joey. "I'm Joey" She emotionlessly said. "HUH?" The clueless boxer kept looking back and forth at Fran and Joey. "How cute, the girl's named as a boy and the boy's named as a girl" Takeshi laughed. "Fran is unisexual name" Fran pouted. "And my real name is Josephine" Joey crossed her arms.

"Well, it's nice to meet you both" Fuuta said, from the far end of the table. "Varia finally has a cloud guardian and Mammon's been replaced too" Tetsuya stood behind Kyoya, who was seated and studying the two newcomers. "We appreciate you coming by and mourning with us" Bianchi remarked. "Che. We were told to" Squalo grumbled. "Let me take you to the Tenth" Hayato offered, leading them to the elevator.

They walked out and into the forest. Heading over to a slightly steep trail, they tracked after the 10th storm guardian. "Here we are" Hayato showed them a black coffin, embedded with a gold Vongola symbol above a large 'X', the roman numeral of 10. They were silent until Hayato started walking away. "Oi, where are you going?" Bel questioned. "Somewhere else, I can't take it" Hayato said. "Ushishishi~ are you crying?" Bel teased. "Of course I am! As the right hand man of the tenth, it is deeply tragic that he died before I did!" Hayato snapped back at him. "VOI! Shut up! Let's just go, we said our prayers" Squalo interrupted the two storm guardians.

Upon returning inside the base, they bid their goodbyes. "Uhm, ano, why not stay for the night?" Kyoko, the recently widowed one, suggested. "You expect us to…" "Sure" Joey cut Squalo off. "WHAT ARE YOU SAYING, TRASH?" He reprimanded her. "Don't call me, trash! I'll tell Fratello you did so" Joey warned "It's just a night, we'll leave tomorrow noon" She added. "Do they even have a room for a prince like me?" Bel added. "You'll be fine with any room" Joey crossed her arms. "Che" Bel avoided her gaze. "Thank you, Joey-kun" Kyoko bowed

Squalo and Takeshi had a sparring moment, Fran and Bel roamed the base while Joey hung out with Kyoko, Haru, Ipin, and Bianchi. "Joey-kun, how is it in Varia?" Haru poured her tea in the kitchen. "I don't feel welcome yet" Joey silently thanked her after receiving the steaming cup of green tea. "Hahi! How come? How long have you been there?" Haru exclaimed. "Less than 2 weeks, I just don't feel welcomed yet" She sighed. "Don't worry, Joey-san, you'll feel welcome sooner or later" Ipin encouraged her. "Joey-kun, if you don't mind, tell us more about yourself" Kyoko slid a plate of biscuits in the middle of the table

"Well, I used to be a princess in a small kingdom but I left since I didn't feel at home either" Joey decided to leave out the murder part of her back story. "Why? Shouldn't a princess life be fabulous?" Haru started to fantasize about being a princess herself. "Well, I didn't want to be a princess" Joey shrugged. "So you joined an assassination squad instead?" Bianchi asked. "I was asked to. The ninth found me wondering around Italy and saw my potential and recommended me to join Varia. Without anything else to do, I did" "Ah, being the only female Varia member, have you taken interest on anyone? Or did anyone confess to you?" Haru rested her chin on her palm.

"_Ushishishi" "I like you Jo-sempai, more than just a sempai"_ The two phrases echoed in her head while her cheeks burned. "Hahi! So there is! Who?" Haru jumped back and dragged her chair closer to Joey. "A-a-ah…" Joey stuttered. "We won't tell, Joey-kun!" Kyoko assured her. "I-I know… the thing is that… I just can't accept my own feelings for him" Joey mumbled "Why is that?" Ipin asked. "Well… let's just forget it… Can I just tell you who confessed?" Joey shook her head. "Whatever you like" Haru beamed. "Fran admitted" Joey let out a relieved sigh. "That teal haired boy?" Ipin inquired. "Yes" Joey naturally smiled. "How did you react?" Kyoko and Haru asked at the same time. "I… uh… we kissed" Joey mouthed the last words.

The girls, except Bianchi, shrieked in hoity toity [**I don't know if I used that correctly**] "What happened after?" Haru immediately asked. "Ah, we returned to our seats. I didn't want Squalo and Bel to notice we were missing" She took a sip of tea. "So you like him back?" Kyoko took a biscuit. "Uhm, well, I didn't until he kissed me…" Joey became conscious of it. "Oh no, Joey" Bianchi slightly shook her head "If you started liking someone because they did an act of love to you, you don't really love him. You said you didn't want to talk about someone you took interest because you couldn't accept it, right? You're only using Fran to forget him" She continued.

"I… I didn't think of it that way" Joey stared down at her tea. Was she just using Fran? But their kiss felt different than the one Bel gave her. It was nice and soft, not forceful and greedy. "I think I like Fran more…" Joey said under her breath. "Hm?" They all didn't seem to catch her words. "No. I like Fran more. From the start actually" Joey firmly held. "If that's the case, then isn't young love sweet?" Bianchi sighed.

Joey thanked her believable acting skills. She still had to reflect on what had happen on the plane. "_I like you. More than a sempai…_" Fran's monotonous voice echoed in her head. Did she feel the same? "_You have let to learn more things, and I cannot teach it, Lady Josephine, someone else is entitled for that_" She remembered Gina's words. Was Fran supposed to teach her that? Firstly, what else did she need to learn?

Night struck and the Varia was only given 2 rooms, separating the guys and the girl. Joey, wearing a purple tank top and black shorts (She wore them under her clothes) was still contemplating. Her automatic door opened. "Jo-sempai?" Fran's frog hat gave the black silhouette away. "Yeah?" Joey opened the lights and saw Fran wearing cargo pants and a large, sleeveless white shirt. "Can I sleep beside you?" He asked. "O-okay" She moved to the other side of the bed to make room for him. "What's wrong with the other room" She asked while he took his hat off.

"The stupid long haired captain snores too much" Fran dully said. "Ah" Joey suppressed a laugh. Fran lied down beside her and stared at the ceiling. "Fran, were you serious about what you said on the plane?" Joey turned to her side to face him. "I kissed you didn't I?" He did the same action. "Yeah but" Fran kissed her again, cutting her off. He dominantly took over, gradually hovering above her. She was lying on her back, her hands on his neck and cheek. His, however, were supporting his weight above her body.

Fran inched his hands to her waist, creeping up her shirt. Joey instantly pushed him away. "Jo-sempai?" Fran batted his eyelids. "Uhm, aren't we taking it a little too fast?" She stared up at him. "You think so?" He childishly asked. Joey let out a short laugh "Yes, I think so… but I do like you, Fran" She cooed. "Thank you, sempai" He smiled. "Oi, why are you thanking me? And are you still going to call me sempai?" "Yes" Fran lied back down beside her. "Ahh, Fran" Joey pulled the sheets above them and turned her back on Fran. "Good night, sempai" She heard Fran mumble. "Good night, Fran" She whispered back.

…

…

**NOW, DON'T BE MAD, ITS TEMPORARY, I ASSURE YOU ;;) SHE'S JUST DATING HIM ****FOR NOW**. **REVIEWS PLEASE!**


	14. Conflicted

**CHAPTER 13.**

…

…

"Take care, Joey-kun!" Kyoko and Haru bowed. "Eh? Why bow at me?" Joey nervously laughed. "You're a princess remember?" Haru reminded her. "Yeah, but…" Joey looked over at Fran who was in a heated argument with Bel. "Joey-kun?" Kyoko looked over to their direction. "Joey-kun, what are they talking about?" Haru took notice. "I don't know…" Seeing the two's expression at each other, she was worried. She lit her mist ring and took her box weapon out.

"Where were you last night?" Bel probed the illusionist. "I was at Jo-sempai's" Fran answered back. "Why were you there? And why are you calling her Jo?"  
>"I couldn't take the stupid captain's snoring so I slept with Jo-sempai. She said I should call her Jo instead" Fran started to get annoyed<br>"Joey's a girl, you stupid frog, you can't sleep with her, what the hell do you think our boss will do when he finds out? You'll be dead" Bel reminded him  
>"Jo-sempai allowed me to sleep beside her" Fran asserted<br>"Liar!" Bel threatened him with knives  
>"She's not yours, Bel-sempai"<br>"Tch" Bel snarled

"Joey-kun, why'd you bring your weapon out?" Haru asked her. "Just making sure" She cut off her dying will and was about to hide her box when Fran and Bel jumped away from each other. With that, she ignited her rings and jammed both into their respective boxes. "What the hell?" Squalo was about to jump in between them but saw Joey already taking action

As the two contenders were about to charge at each other, Joey appeared in the middle, her chain scythe blades threatened to cut right through their necks. "You two stop right now…"

"Hahi? Where did they go?" They over heard Haru, looking around for them, Joey had concealed them in a barrier made by the mist butterflies.

They broke the fight off and apologized to Joey and the rest. Though, they were still not in good terms. The 2 day flight back to Italy was filled with tension coming only from Belphegor and it was all towards Fran. Joey was going through a total guilt trip the whole ride home. A WHOLE 2 DAYS, she was burdened with the knowledge that the 2 fought because of her. She still hasn't completed a full analysis on her situation.

…

"Welcome back, Joey~ Oh… Oh my… what's with the murderous intention?" Even Lussuria noticed the pressure building. "Long story" Squalo irritably spat. "My Lady?" Gina walked around the corner and Joey rushed to her with a giant hug. "Why is this so complicated, Gina?" She whispered to her. "I'm sorry to hear this having such a great impact on you, my lady" Joey broke the hug and sighed. "I'm going up" She exasperated, removing her uniform top and handing it to Gina. "I'm taking a nap"

Curled in her bed, Joey restlessly turned over and over again. "Fuck. I can't sleep" Joey stood up, and walked out to her balcony. "Why Fran?" A morose voice rang. She looked over and saw Bel in his signature purple and black striped shirt, leaning on the ledge of his own balcony. "Why do you care?" Joey tucked her hair behind her ear. "Because…" Bel stepped on the ledge and jumped to her terrace "I saw you first…" He stepped closer to her. "I found out first" He continued, walking over to her. Joey pressed her body against the ledge. "I kissed you first…" Bel placed his hands on the railing, restraining her. Closing in, he whispered in her ear "I **LOVED** you first"

Her heart constricted. She started to cry, making him panic. He knew she wasn't the kind of girl who would cry so easily. "H-Hey… Don't cry…" He stammered, placing a hand on her cheek. Joey started to hug herself; lowering her head. Bel opposed to this and lifted her head. He immediately captured her lips, pulling her body closer. Her hands crawled up his chest and tightly grasp unto his shirt. "B-Bel" She managed to say in between kisses. He wasn't listening, "Bel…" Joey felt goose bumps as Bel trailed his kisses to her ear. "Bel… Stop…" Her voice trembled, as he continued down her neck. "Please?" She barely said, feeling his hands on her waist.

A ninja star pierced the concrete railing, centimetres away from Bel's hand. The two turned to the source and saw Gina. "Lady Josephine politely asked you stop, Prince Belphegor" She brought out a couple more stars. "…" Bel glanced over to Joey who looked thankful to see her lady-in-waiting and vaulted over back to his own balcony without another word. He didn't hesitate to walk back inside. Joey fell to her knees. "Lady Josephine!" Gina rushed to her. "I'm supposed to be the strong one Gina… I'm supposed to be the strong one… something like this shouldn't be able to bring me down…" She barely had enough breath to say the words. "Why are you crying, my lady? Why at Prince Belphegor? Why for him?" Gina delicately asked.

"**B-Because I love him back…**"

**...**

…

**I cried while making this. I CAN RELATE LIKE FUCK YEAH. DAMN LIFE. To think the song playing were Terrified by Katherine McPhee and When You're Gone by Avril Lavigne. The 2 songs that make me cry -_- Fuck life, bro. Anyways, REVIEWS!**


	15. Siel And Isabella

**CHAPTER 14**

**If I cry, well FUCK. Nothing by the Script is playing. Coincidence? NO, IT'S A DAMN SIGN (-_-)**

_S__HE said nothing_

…

**I took some parts from the manga**

…

Joey's eyes widened at the sudden confession. "Wait, NO!" She cried. "Princess…" Gina comforted "It will only hurt more if you keep denying it" Joey wiped her tears away. "Gina, are you sure you can't teach me whatever you were talking about?" Joey sniffled. "I can try, but I can't show you how…" Gina smiled.

"You've yet learned how to be in a relationship, my lady… and learn to choose the right man" Gina testified "How can I do that?" Joey calmed down a bit, she wasn't crying anymore but her heart was still as heavy. "Your prince… er… man of choice… should be able to kiss your pain away, make you forget every pain, truly love you, and be completely honestly with you" "Is Fratello like that to you?" Joey inserted. Instantaneously, Gina's face turned red. "Uhm, your man of choice…" "Gina!" Joey whined. "My lady… in a way" She can't deny Joey, ever. "Aw~" Joey cooed. "Anyways, he must put you as your top priority. He has to be the type who will risk his life for you"

"But I can handle myself" Joey fell back lied down on the bed. "You're missing the point, Lady Josephine" Gina sat beside her. "The boy is willing to risk everything for you, even though he knows that you can handle the situation on your own" Joey gaped at the ceiling. "He must know how to treat you right, make you feel right and most importantly, he must know what type of person you are" "Why is that the most important?" Joey sat up. "Because, my lady, if he doesn't know what type you are, then he wouldn't be able to make you happy" Gina explained.

"I understand" Joey nodded. Gina stood up and held her hand out. "I'm sure you're famished, Lady Josephine" "Quite" Joey accepted the hand and took it, standing up. They walked out and sauntered down to the kitchen. "Are you feeling better, Joey-chan?" Lussuria greeted, mixing himself a cup of tea. "I guess so" the troubled girl fibbed. She was still weighed down by everything. "VOI! The boss calls for an emergency meeting!" Squalo kicked the kitchen door open.

"The reason why that scumbag Sawada died was because he was protecting the Vongola rings from a new Mafia group named Millefiore" Xanxus threw the folder to Lussuria. "Their boss is Byakuran and they have rings called Mare Rings…" Lussuria read out loud. "They've already sent out hundreds of men to attack, now, all we have to do is prepare" Xanxus picked up his wine glass. "Also, for some reason, Sawada and some of his guardians from the past have come here" He added. "Is that possible?" Squalo asked. "GO send a message to stay put, those trash won't be able to hold up their defences for long" Xanxus ignored the squad captain. "Wait, when did they come here?" Joey crossed her arms behind her back. "Just after you left, they also found that Arcobaleno, Reborn, but he didn't show himself yet" "Now what?" Fran boringly rose. "Now, GO" Their boss spun his chair around.

…

**Xanxus has led Varia in a raid and it took them 10 minutes to take over the hold castle housing of the Millefiore commander, soon after that, all 35 member Varia squad was surrounded by Millefiore and were facing quite a predicament**

…

"I don't like this!" Lussuria cried "A siege is boring! I don't go well with defences!" He added. "We can't expect any help from the remaining Vongola Allies, right? If only that prancing horse wasn't sent to Japan" Belphegor snickered. "Are you talking about Dino Cavallone?" Joey's eye twitched at the phrase 'prancing horse' "Ushishishi~ is the princess familiar with him?" "No" She sat on the ledge of the balcony. "What is with all you're whining? These puny enemies, I can take them down easily!" Levi boasted. "Mr. Levi. In that case, go right ahead and take them down easily, please. I'll just stay here and watch" Fran said in his same monotonous tone, making Bel chuckle at Levi. "But, the shape of the terrain means the enemy can attack only from a few possible positions! We're not in a bad situation at all!" Levi protested. "The way you used 'but' there is all wrong, old lightning pervert" Fran critiqued.

"Nuoooooo! What did you call me?" The lightning guardian screamed. "Beautiful night sky, isn't it Jo-sempai~" Fran looked up, ignoring Levi's tantrum. "Aha, yeah, it is" Joey agreed. "So, what are our positions, battle commander Squalo?" Lussuria asked, changing the topic. "Hm…" Squalo briefly thought "Levi and Lussuria standby in the castle and wait for further orders. If anything happens, you'll be back up" Squalo turned his head towards the 'juniors' "I will guard the loophole on the east side, Bel and Fran will cover the south. Take whichever underlings you like with you" "And us?" Joey reminded Squalo her presence and Gina's. "Go with Bel and Fran, be atleast 100 meters ahead of them"

"Geh. I have to look after Fran?" Bel gritted his teeth. "I don't like it either. I don't like your type at all. Because I took over Mammon's place, I'm forced to wear this stupid frog hat. I didn't agree to wear this hat, you know" Fran patted his frog hat. "Battle Commander Squalo, that froggy might die during the mission, by my hand, that is" Bel terrorized. "Shut the fuck up, brat! When newbie officers are baby officers, there is bound to be trouble!" Squalo screeched. "I'm not a baby anymore though" Bel remarked. "Bel, Bel" Levi whispered. "Hm?" Bel turned to him. Levi winked and murmured "It doesn't matter if you kill him, just kill him!"

"Don't wanna~ Even if I did it, I'll end up teaming up with you. That's worse" Bel turned on his heel. "Or with me" Joey shrugged, while Squalo scolded Levi and kicked him where it hurts the most. "…" Bel stared at her until Fran snapped him out of his sense when he said "Jo-sempai, don't give him any motives" Joey giggled "Ah, don't worry Fran" Joey glinted under the moonlight. "All right! You've got your orders, so go! Take whatever newbie underlings with you as you please!" Squalo ordered. "Hey! Are you referring to me?" Joey crossed her arms while Bel and Fran took off. "JUST GO ALREADY!"

…

Jumping from tree to tree, Bel, Fran, Joey, and Gina proceeded to their spots. With Fran leading, he called out to Bel. "Bel-sempai, I'd rather have you go in front, after all. The killing intent you're shooting at my back hurts" "Hehehe, no way. Wait until I decide if I'm going to stab you in your mind in your heart" Bel held up a couple knives. "You're really warped. You're the worst kind of living creature ever… the fallen prince" Fran spat. "Who's a fallen prince?" Bel threw the knives at the boy in front of him. "Ow!" Fran cried in his dull tone "Ahh, you made me cry… I'm going to tell on you to our idiotic, long haired commander. I'll ask for his permission to kill you, sempai" Fran said. "Oi, if I stab you, you'll be dead"

"I've been thinking, you know… sempai, your head is not screwed on right. You must have been chased out of your homeland, right? You must have been hated by your family so you can't go home and joined Varia, right? Uwa!" 3 more knives pierced his back. "You fool. No such thing. Because, I've killed everyone there" "Enough, please stop with the stabbing" "Ushishishi~ No…" 2 small versions of Stheno wrapped around their legs and made them dangle on separate branches.

"Would you two shut up?" Joey rebuked. "Jo-sempai, tell that to the fallen prince" Fran accusingly pointed to Bel. "Why you" "ENOUGH!" You two set a trap here, Gina and I will advance forward and set our own traps here, okay?" Joey nodded at Gina and both left them. Stheno helped the hanging bodies up and released them, following after their master.

"Che. Fine, let's start setting up traps here" Bel stretched. "Bel-sempai, can you pull out the knives from my back first? Your renowned knives have such a weird shape, it's kind of embarrassing having it stick out my back like this" A hunched over Fran showed his back at Bel. After much thought, Bel replied "Return all the knives by nightfall, not one must be missing" Fran had already removed some, bending them and throwing it away "I'm not doing it, this stupid toy, this stupid toy" He mumbled. "You bastard" Bel lit his ring. "Ah~ angry now? Then I'll discard them without breaking them" Fran threw knife after knife. "I won't allow you to" Bel jammed his ring into his box and released his Storm Mink, resting on his shoulders. "Throw anymore, I'll burn you"

Fran accidentally threw the remaining knives while waving his hands, repeating over and over again "Just kidding, just kidding" "BRAT, go to hell" Mink flew at him. "Shoo, shoo, don't come here" Fran said with a straight face. It continued to head towards him. Fran ducked, but Mink continued forward, hitting a hiding Millefiore member, burning his whole body. "Hey, Bel-sempai, you figured out there were troops from the start?" "Of course, around 30 people, I guess" "What a surprise. Should I call you a genius or what?" "Ushishishi, of course a genius… because I am… THE PRINCE"

"_What are you talking about; I radioed over to you that less than 50 men passed by me and Gina. Don't call him a Genius, Fran!_" Joey's voice rang from their communication devices. "Don't ruin the moment princess" Bel moped. "_I just did, prince_" Her sly voice came to a halt. "_G-Gina! What's wrong? Wh-Who are you? Gah…_" Joey's device got cut off "VOII! Joey! What the hell happened?" Squalo's voice took over. "Hey, let's finish this, Joey's in trouble" Bel informed Fran. "Bel-sempai, I'm not deaf, I heard everything" Fran stated.

"Charge!" The troop leader announced, attacking Bel. "You guys don't understand your current situation. Stay there and wash your neck (it means to stay alert) Finish them off, Mink" Mink obeyed, it growled and flew to around the troops, enclosing them in a ring of red fire. "Everyone, don't touch those flames! These are flames of the storm attribute!" The troop leader warned. "Tch. No use. Flame of the Red Lotus" All of the troop members were engulfed in flames

"Anything that touches the storm mink's fur will start degenerating due to the storm flames' attribute. Explanation complete. It's been hard on you… say, don't you feel it too?" Fran saw Bel jump to his branch. "What a fierce fire" Bel squinted his eyes behind his bangs. "Don't you ever spare a thought on the environmental crisis?" Fran asked. The fire started to cease because of an unknown rain source. A "A rain attribute… pelican?" Bel saw the flying sea bird above them

Among the smoke, a large dark skinned man emerged, a maid slung over his shoulder. "It's been a long time, Bel-sama" "Bel-sempai, that's Gina" Fran directed his attention to the maid on his shoulder. "Hmmm" Bel stared at the man. "Do you still recognize me?" He asked. "Who are you?" Bel asked back. "In the past, I am Bel-sama's… No, your family's butler" He replied. "Well, that could be true" Bel shrugged. "My name is Olgert" he introduced himself. "What a strange name, you can't expect me to remember it" The blonde prince slid his arms into the pockets of his uniform "Don't tell me you are posing as an ally and asking me to pardon you? It's no use though, I do not need a butler" "Of course not" Olgert paused "Because I will only serve the prince who will become the king in the end"

"Isn't that me?" Bel was confused for a moment. "That is not true, Bel" "Ah?" Fran looked back and forth at Bel and the newly entered character. "Impossible" Bel gasped. "The one who became king is the one who you supposedly killed, your own twin brother… Siel-sama" Bel's twin, seated on a floating throne, with Joey, covered in blood, unconsciously straddled on his lap.

"Joey/Jo-sempai!" The two cried out, hoping she'll wake up. "Siel?" Bel looked up at his twin. "Bel" he called back at him. "Bel-sempai did say that he killed his brother. Is that guy some illusion?" Fran asked. "Moron, the ability to see through illusions, isn't it an illusionist job?" Bel spat. "I don't think they are using an illusion, even though it's just a feeling" "Just a feeling, eh?" "To see though illusions is very difficult. Even my master has to rely on feelings. The two had completely forgot about the others, resulting Siel to call out to him "Belphegor"

"It can't be help that you suspect me, but I'm not a fake or a look-alike cause there's a same mole on both of our tummy plus… the scars you gave me… isn't this enough?" Siel lifted his shirt and showed old scars and a small moon shaped birthmark on the left side of his abdomen. After studying it carefully, Bel shrugged "It looks like it's the real one"

"Hehehe, those wounds are definitely left by me" Bel laughed. "Sempai, you can say such violence and sad drama into such a humorous manner. Even Joey-sempai had a little sympathy"  
>"You didn't change at all Belphegor, for example, saying only things that benefit you… This girl, her name is Joey right? She'll make a wonderful queen"<br>Bel clenched his teeth that even Fran noticed  
>"Oh? You like her don't you? Regardless of studying or running matches, you are weaker than me and shall never beat me at that time, the 100 percent successor to be king should be me" Siel looked down at Joey "And if my sources are correct, she was the heir of her own country too, than that makes us perfect for each other"<br>"That's correct" Olgert slightly bowed, making sure Gina wouldn't fall.  
>"How do you know about Jo-sempai's past?" Fran inquired<br>"He doesn't, Siel-sama was referring to me~" Isabella flew by Siel's throne, wearing a Millefiore uniform for girls and boots powered by her mist flames, giving her the ability to fly.  
>"Isabella" Bel remembered the same face that ambushed Joey<br>"Hi Bel~" She winked at him

…

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**Okay, I'll end this here, please wait for the next chapter! Studying for exam…**


	16. Surprise Visit

**Chapter 15 **

…

…

Joey started to stir up in Siel's arms. "Heh, good morning, princess" He chuckled. "B-Bel?" Joey feebly replied, summoning all her remaining energy to open her eyes. "No, I'm Siel, the better version of my little brother" The straight blond haired boy said. "Jo-sempai!" She heard Fran call out to her. Steadily, she moved her head away from Siel and saw Fran and Bel on a tree branch. "F-Fran… Bel…" She barely said her body was numb; the last thing she remembered was her body exploding.

"Hi, Josephine~" Isabella's head drifted above hers. "…" Joey stared up at her sister, feeling empty inside. "You know, Belphegor, I was holding back" Siel said to his brother. "?" Bel felt a blood reach this ears, then…

Blood burst out his ears, then he soon through his mouth. "Sempai?" Fran stared at him, not long before he, himself experienced it. "Bel! Fran!" Joey screamed, watching the two figures fall to the ground. "Bel-sama, Fran-sama" 3 subordinates came to their aid. As they approached them, Olgert's rain Elephant stomped on them, or he thought

Gina's box weapon blocked the attack. Joey started to dissipate into small indigo butterflies from Siel's lap, as well as Gina from Olgert's shoulder. "What?" Siel looked over to the large eagle, which carried Gina and Joey, both leaning on each other for support. "Well, I was saving you, princess but, if you insist on dying with my pathetic brother" "The only asshole who can call me princess is Belphegor, got it?" Joey wiped blood off her chin using the back of her hand. "So you are in love with him, Josephine" Isabella pouted, crossing her arms. "No, I just got used to it" Joey sighed. "All of you… SHATTER"

They all detonated with blood coming out of their ears, eyes, nose and mouth. "Foolish Josephine, shall we destroy the castle, Siel-sama?" Isabella flew a couple feet away from him, pointing to the castle. "Olgert, you can do that" Siel sat back on his throne. "Well then," Olgert opened another box, releasing 2 more rain elephants. The elephants roared together, reaching the whole perimeter of the area

"What's that?" Squalo turned around, after slaying a couple enemies. "I believe it's 3 large airborne box weapons! It's heading towards the castle! I'll perform the special attack now!" A subordinate informed him. "_Bel, Fran, Joey and Gina have been defeated?_" The shark was in disbelief. "No! HOLD THE SPECIAL ATTACK" The other line went dead and Squalo growled. "Lussuria! Can you hear me?"

"What? Eh?" Lussuria couldn't hear Squalo's command. The three elephants smashed into the castle, destroying the whole structure. "The Vongola's best squad got terminated!" Siel manically laughed "**Shut up**" The dust cloud cleared up and exposed Xanxus, unharmed and sitting with his feet on top of the table.

…

…

The four bodies covered in blood, lay motionless on the ground until…  
>Joey and Gina twitched. Coughing, the two struggled to stand up. "Lady Josephine, are you okay?" Gina asked. "Getting there" Joey walked over to Bel and Fran's body, picking them up by the collar. "Show yourselves, fools. I know these are illusions" Joey scoffed, seeing the bodies disappear. "Hai, Jo-sempai~" Fran appeared behind a tree with Belphegor. "A mist illusion?" Bel asked. "Bingo" Fran answered "Our eyeballs popped out too with a big poing, too! I came up with a real horror movie death scene" he added. "You twit" Bel spat "Fight for fucks sake!" He kicked Fran.<p>

"Will you two stop?" Joey leapt up a tree, Gina following. "Don't you want to see Fratello getting mad?" Joey looked ahead with curiosity. "He gets all violent and scarily fierce within Varia and he's always swaggering around, but is he really that strong?" Fran jumped up beside Joey. "If he wasn't, I would have killed him in his sleep already" Bel asserted. "But don't you want to see who's stronger? Our boss, or your idiotic brother?" Bel pndered on this and replied with a prying smile "Fuck yeah"

"Then let's go" Joey darted for another tree branch. "Ushishisih~ I'm the only one who can call you princess, huh?" Bel teasingly said, jumping after her with Fran. Joey took a misstep and missed the branch. Gina luckily caught her by the wrist. "I also mentioned you're an asshole" Joey hauled herself up. "Ushishishi~" "Jo-sempai, what happened to you awhile ago?" Fran asked.

"Siel happened. While Gina and I were setting traps, she suddenly… exploded. Then I saw Siel and had the same fate as Gina. I can't even believe I survived that" Joey praised. "My Lady!" Gina screamed, sensing a large wave of power approaching them.

-BOOM-

"That… that must be Fratello…" Joey squinted her eyes, watching the orange light glow. "I-Isabella!" Joey dashed towards the light. "Hm" Gina smiled. "?" Fran and Belphegor looked at her with confusion. "Though she killed Lady Isabella before, seeing her alive today… She still cares for her" "Ushishishi~ Princess has a soft side?" Bel probed. "She always had" Gina murmured, following her master. "Che. It's already over" Bel disappointedly sighed. "In the end, having to deal with these enemies caused us to miss the show" Fran followed after Gina, Bel shortly pursued after him.

"_**Oh, no. This is merely a little break**_" Their communication devices picked up. Joey and Gina stopped in their tracks, Bel and Fran a couple feet away from them. "_**Both the main battle in Italy and the Merone Base in Japan… You have been most entertaining…**_" "It's transmitting through the fallen enemies' comm. Devices huh?" Fran pointed out. "_**This pre-game battle had a very important purpose, you know. Like, you've shown me the true abilities of the Vongola's most powerful squad**_" The man being projected, Byakuran said. As the hologram of the Millefiore boss continued on, Joey's mind drifted into more personal things. "Jo-sempai" Fran poked Joey's shoulder. "Hm?" Joey looked at him. "My lady, let's push forward"

…

"VOI!" Joey watched Squalo scream at his comm. Device. She winced, receiving a feedback in her own device. "It's fine just let me through dammit!" Squalo continued. "YOU LITTLE BASTARDS, ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?" He yelled "Listen up! At this time, we, as the Vongola, are together on this! So as for you little brats…" A rock smashed on Squalo's head. "Fratello!" Joey repress a laugh and showed concern for Squalo. "You asshole!" Squalo glared at Xanxus. "Sawda Tsunayoshi… Have you become a little less immature yet? Show me that the Vongola in ten days time… will be the strongest!" Xanxus destroyed the line.

"Squalo, please stop, I said!" Lussuria held Squalo back. "Let go! I wasn't done yet!" Squalo charged at Xanxus. "Ah, ah, he broke the line already" Fran inserted. "Joey" Xanxus ignored them "Hm?" Joey artlessly replied. "What are you planning to do with her?" Xanxus pointed to Isabella, unconsciously lying on the floor on Gina's lap. "… I…" "I'll take her with me…" A voice loomed towards them. "Voi! Who are you?" Squalo raised his sword to the figure walking near them. "Squalo! Put your sword down!" Joey admonished. "What?" "Just do as she says" Xanxus said "That woman is…" Gina slowly slipped Isabella to the ground and stood beside Joey.

The woman with side swept raven hair, gracefully resting on her shoulders, dressed in a simple white Sunday dress, stepped into view. Gina kneeled on one knee while Joey bent half of her body forward. "My, my, you don't have to do that" The lady said. "…" Joey straightened up and looked into the blue eyes. They smiled at the same time "Josephine, I, Katherine Giovanne, is ready to accept the throne of Aerbourne once more…"

"!" The other Varia members stood in shock. This lady… is Joey's mother?

…

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**I DID THIS IN A DAY, I WASN'T ABLE TO STUDY SO MUCH, BUT IT WAS WORTH IT… I GUESS. PLEASE PRAY THAT I'LL PASS THE EXAMS!**

**ALSO, HOW MANY CHAPTERS ARE YOU EXPECTING UNTIL THIS STORY ENDS? THE ONE WHO GETS IT RIGHT… IS RIGHT! :P ALSO, I AM WRITING A CHARACTER SONG FOR JOEY! (So is , my 'twin') So please be on standby for that! REVIEWS!**


	17. Omake 2

**OMAKE 2. INSPIRED BY CHAPTER 348. ENJOY**

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"Where is he?" 15 year old Joey, her thigh length hair pulled up into a tight ponytail, wearing black denim shorts, a white tank top under a cropped, sagging purple shirt, black thigh high socks and white buckled knee high boots. "Bruno informed his grandmother said he was in the river, playing" Gina replied, leading them into a waterfall. "Could it be he's up there, your highness?" Bruno, a rather large man with a muscular built, towering at 6 feet, suggested. "Hm… Is Isabella asleep?" Joey turned around to check Jacob, who has a similar built as Bruno, carrying the sleeping 14 year old. "Can you carry her up there, Jacob?" With an affirmative nod, Joey began to vault upwards, Gina, Jacob, and Bruno following right after her. "_Help me! This stupid looking cavity imp that can't remember to cut his bangs… is throwing some weird looking knives at me!_" Joey heard a scream, bringing out her unconnected chain scythes. Upon reaching the top, she threw it towards the source of the scream. Landing on Bruno's shoulder and Gina's shoulder, she shakily stood balancing herself due to the uneven support beneath her. "Ushishishi~ could this be Joey?" Bel snickered, making her curiously look at him. "Do I know you?" She bluntly asked. Frowning, the hooded prince replied "You don't remember, princess?" Joey looked over to Gina who respectfully shrugged. "Oh. You're Varia, the assassination squad the future me joined… so it's not a dream" She sat on her bodyguards shoulder. "VOI! Are you planning to join us already?" Squalo screamed. "Ah… the megaphone shark… No. It will be too dangerous for Isabella"

"Wow, you must be the queen of the fairies" The young teal haired boy rang. "Hm? You're that cute frog" She sang. "You remember that brat and not the prince" Bel threatened her with knives, making Gina step forward. "Fake prince. As the frog used to say" "Joey-kun's hair is still long at this age, I barely recognized her!" Lussuria squealed. "Anyways, I'm here to find answers on why I had a dream of being part of an assassination squad with weird people. I know one day or another; I'll be killing my father for being such a horrible king in a Matriarchal country. But I always thought of taking over the spot" "Josephine! You plan in killing father?" "Ha? No, it's a figurative language, Isabella" She lied "Jacob, bring her back to the helicopter" Receiving a nod from Jacob and watching them go back down the waterfall, she directed her attention to them once more. "Fairy Queen, can you protect me from them?" Fran asked. "What's your name?" Joey crossed her legs, still seated on Bruno's shoulder. "Fran" He answered. "He's ours, Byon!" Ken jumped in front of Fran. "Hii! Only an idiot would say 'Byon' with a serious face like that! You must be an idiot fairy! Don't touch me; you'll spread your stupidity!" Fran ran away from Ken, to be stopped by Levi "Playtime is over, you're not getting away Fran" "What the heck is with this cavity monster… he isn't scary at all. Maybe if I ignore it, it'll go away" Fran turned once more. Squalo, Mukuro, and Chikusa blocked him, Mukuro and Squalo holding their weapons to his face. "Do you really want to give up?" Squalo asked. "Just give up" Mukuro added. Joey, amused by the scene, leapt from Bruno's shoulder and in between Mukuro and Squalo. Pushing their weapons aside, Joey squatted in front of Fran. "Ja, Fran, if I can slightly remember them, you should be too… don't you remember who we are? Though, even I can't remember their names…" She asked. "No, Fairy Queen, my grandmother said I hit my head on a block of cheese. I lost my memories, so I can't remember" He guiltlessly replied.

"I knew it!" Squalo grumbled in the background. "In other words, he lost all of the memories from the future" "….." As they babbled on who should get Fran, Joey sparked up a little conversation. "Can you try to remember?" Joey asked. "After meeting these people, I don't want to, Fairy Queen" Fran pouted. "Is that so?" Joey glanced at each character, mostly at Bel. "I'm sure they aren't that bad. I, Princess Josephine Giovanni, promise to protect you if they ever hurt you" She held out her pinkie. "Okay, Fairy Queen" Fran did the same, and locked pinkies with her. "This way, whoever ends up with custody can't hold a grudge. Let's go" Mukuro said, referring to a game of ladders. "That's impossible!" Squalo retorted. "Can I make a suggestion?" Joey asked, helping Fran out. "What is it, princess?" Mukuro asked. "Oi, only I can call her that" Bel irritably inserted. "Silence!" Joey sighed "Maybe we can let Fran decide which group he'll go with" She placed a hand on Fran's shoulder. "I choose… Fairy Queen" He looked up at her. "Yes!" Squalo and Mukuro rejoiced in the background. "WAIT" Joey said "You can't go with me. That would be changing the future. Choose wisely, Fran" She smiled, taking her other scythe and walked to her escorts. "Go ahead" She instructed them. "Hey" Joey looked back. Gina and Bruno had left their master already. "Aren't you going to go with us?" Bel asked. "Yeah, it would be fun to have you already in Varia already" Lussuria added. "Tch. Why'd you even go here?" Squalo tetchily spat. "To find answers to that bizarre dream" Joey rolled her eyes. "So are you?" Bel asked once more. "Like I said, anything we do will change the future. If you all want me to be part of Varia, then wait 10 years" She said, turning her thought to the approaching helicopter. "Is that a promise, princess?" Bel shoved his hands into his pockets. "It's a promise, Bel" Joey softly said with a small smile. "What?" the sound of the helicopter was too loud for them to hear what she said. As the chopper passed over her, she caught the ladder tailing it. "I'll go with that group!" Fran said, making Joey smile as she was lifted up. "Smart boy" She chuckled to herself

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**REVIEWS. LAST EXAM TOMORROW. I'll update as soon as possible! Love, Rowzhyan ;;)**


	18. Aerbourne or Varia

**CHAPTER 16. EXAMS ARE DONE! ALELUYA. CL WAS HARD THOUGH, HARDER THAN MATH. I MEAN, ****HARDER THAN MATH, SCIENCE, FILIPINO, ENGLISH AND SOCIAL****  
>-_-. -LOL, IT HAS A MOLE… LIKE ME -_-<strong>

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"Y-You are…" Joey stuttered, eyes repeatedly blinking at her mother. "I have thought hard and long enough to realize this, Josephine. I have concluded my thoughts with the avowal of accepting the throne. Josephine, I wish you will understand that… I want you to come with me" Varia fell silent while Joey's heart tore in different directions. "I…" They anxiously waited for a reply. "Don't fret over this too much, Josephine, I'll give you time to think. For now, I'll take leave for Aerbourne. I am sorry to disturb you at such a…" Katherine looked around at the lifeless bodies "Critical time" She continued

"Mother… I'll have my answer soon. Gina, escort my mother for now" Joey said. "There's no need, Josephine, I have my own" Katherine glanced over to a group of women lined up by a tree. "I was able to meet up with them… Farewell, Josephine" She slowly turned around. "M-m…" her daughter dithered. "Hm?" Katherine faced her and opened her arms. Joey ran to her, accepting the hug. "Come home soon, Josephine" Katherine kissed her forehead and left. "VOI! Is the drama done? Cuz, if it is, I'll go ahead of you and go to Japan already!" Squalo announced. "Then leave, for now, we'll return to mansion, we'll go to Japan in 10 days" Xanxus rested back. "Then I'll go" Squalo left. "Joey, what about your sister?" Lussuria nodded off to Isabella who started to stir. "What happened?" She asked, not aware of where she is. "Isabella, you are to quit Millefiore and return to Aerbourne" Joey brusquely said. "Who are you to tell me that?" Isabella pouted. "Have you forgotten, my dear sister? I'm Josephine Giovanni, heir to the throne of Aerbourne, the kingdom that will be ruled by our mother, Katherine Giovanne" Joey light-heartedly replied. "M-Mother…?" "Is taking the throne, follow her, she shouldn't be far" Joey looked towards the path where their mother passed. "And you?" Isabella stood up. "I'm still thinking about it" Joey murmured. "You're not going back. You already have Varia, why return to the country which will probably tremble in your presence?" "Just go, Isabella" Joey sighed. "Think long and hard, Josephine. I mean, Joey. Because I miss Josephine already and I'd live a hundred more lives just to be her" Isabella turned on her heels and walked away. "My lady?" Gina watched Joey's expression grew darker. "Can we just go back to the mansion?" Joey griped at Xanxus. "Tch. Let's go"

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**Mansion**

…

…

"Jo-sempai" Fran knocked on her door. "Come in, Fran" he heard a muffled voice echo. Upon entering the room, he saw her huddled in the middle of her bed, her face buried into a pillow. "Jo-sempai?" Fran inched to the side of her bed. "I'm fine. I'm just thinking" Joey removed the pillow and revealed a troubled face "What is it?" She looked up at him. "Jo-sempai, you deserve someone else then me" Fran said. "What?" Joey couldn't think straight at such a decisive time. "I mean, I think you should see other people. Bel-sempai maybe" Fran suggested "Wh-what?" Joey stammered "Why him?" "Because, when his stupid brother came with you on his lap, you should have seen his face. Jo-sempai, don't you see Bel-sempai loves you?" Joey choked "_I __**loved**__ you first_" the quote rang in her head. "Uhm, I thought he was just playing with me and besides, I… I find him irritating" She fell back, lying down. "I'll help you confess, Jo-sempai" Fran gave her a thumbs up.

"No" Joey resisted as Fran pushed her towards Bel's room. "Jo-sempai, do you know how heavy you are?" Fran asked. "Are you telling me I'm fat?" Joey said with full on killing intent. "No" Fran opened Bel's door and shove her inside. "Wait…" "Who dare enters the prince's room?" The room was pitched black. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark she could Bel's silhouette reach for knives. "Bel, wait, it's me" Joey said. "Ushishishi~ What are you doing here princess?" "Why are the lights closed? It's only 9 pm and it's like witching hour here already" Joey felt for the light switches. Feeling the button on the tip of her fingers, she flicked it up and the lights opened. His room was a mess, you barely see the floor, and it was a miracle that it didn't smell. "Don't you clean?" Joey looked at him, still in his signature shirt but in black boxers. His figure seated and leaning on the wall "A prince doesn't clean" He stated. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. Even she cleans her room; he was in no doubt the definition of sloth. "Anyway, what are you doing here princess?" Bel stood up. She slightly opened her mouth and tried to say what Fran had instructed her to do. She couldn't do it, her fingers started to twiddle with each other. "Princess?" Bel paced in front of her. She looked up and hoped she was staring right at his eyes. "I…" Joey looked back down and then…

She grabbed him by his neck and pulled him down, locking lips with him. He quickly responded, wrapping his arms around her waist. Noticing the kiss was getting deeper, she pulled away. "Ushishishi~ what was that for, princess?" He mischievously asked. "I need to talk to Fratello" She coughed, a disheartened look plastered on her face. "Hm?" Bel slowly dropped his arms while she stepped back. "Good Night" She said, covering her lips and leaving him standing there.

"Fratello?" Joey impatiently knocked on his door. "What?" He replied. Joey charged in and saw Levi in the corner. "Can I talk to you alone?" She asked, eyeing Levi. With a look from his Boss, he left. "I need to talk to you about that question my mother left me with" She hesitated. "Aerbourne or Varia" Xanxus reminded, Joey nodded "I know what I'm choosing…"

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**CATCHING UP ON 3 DAYS WORTH OF WORDS FOR THIS FANFIC. I WILL UPDATE ASAP. REVIEWS PLEASE! AND, AS YOU CAN SEE, I ENABLED THE ANONYMOUS REVIEWS. SO TO THOSE WHO DON'T HAVE AN ACCOUNT, YOU MAY STILL REVIEW THIS STORY. PLEASE DO! NO SPAMMING PLEASE! I HOPE THIS CHAPTER WAS GOOD**


	19. Joey's Decision

**CHAPTER 17. JOEY'S DECISION**

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"_Fratello…" Joey grimaced, her head down and hands intertwined with each other. "It's fine" Xanxus dismissed her, turning his chair around. "Don't look for a new guardian, I promise… I'll return" Joey vowed._

"I will return, Fratello. This won't be the end" Joey buttoned her trench coat and tightened her scarf. "My lady, are you ready?" Gina stepped in from the terrace, holding out her hand. Joey handed her the suitcase and glanced back at her room. "Yeah" She replied, jumping after her lady-in-waiting down the mansion. "Won't the scouts see us?" Gina crept behind a tree. "Fratello instructed them to take a 5 minute break" Joey leisurely strode past her. Looking back, Joey sighed "Let's go back home, Gina" "Yes, my lady" Gina bowed. As her master went on, she saw a stature on Joey's balcony. Recognizing the black hair and scar, she frowned and followed her master.

"Take care of yourself, Joey" Xanxus grumbled under his breath

…

Aerbourne, 5 hours flight away from Italy, still stood strong though there was no leader supervising them. Arriving at the main gate of the walled kingdom, Joey hesitated to enter. "Are Lady Isabella's words getting to you?" Gina asked. "No" shaking her head, she stepped closer to the guards in front of the large iron and wood gate. "Who pursues to enter… Open the gate! Princess Josephine has returned!" the guard screamed to the gate keeper. Giving off a slight vibration, the gate opened, splitting down the middle.

"Princess, let us escort you to your castle" 3 more guards rushed towards her, bowing down. "No, I'm fine…" Joey signalled Gina to enter with her. As they pushed forward, they passed by a dry path in the middle of a bright green meadow. "It's as if nothing changed…" Joey said under her breath. They reached the end of the path and entered the town. Some were still made out of wood, most out of concrete and modernized. "It's Princess Josephine! She, who saved the slaves!" A townsperson proclaimed, triggering everyone to crowd around them, leaving a 3 meter radius.

"I'm a hero?" Joey confounded by the attention. "Thanks to you, princess; my father was able to see me graduate!" "You've reunited us all back into one family, Princess Josephine! Welcome back!" They cheered. "Make way! Royal carriage!" A knight called out. The horse-drawn coach still had the same style as she remembered but of course, it was made out of new materials. The knight helped both ladies inside. The red cushions were new, she remembered them being maroon that had golden lining. She looked out as the carriage brought them up the mountain where their large stone walled castle was. "Thinking of Varia, my Lady?" Gina solemnly asked. Joey let out an inaudible sigh. What were they doing right now?

…

…

"Boss! Joey and Gina are missing!" Lussuria reported, as they sat in for breakfast. Xanxus remained silent, eating his breakfast. "B-boss?" Lussuria asked once more. "Did she run away?" Levi spoke up. "She left didn't she…" Belphegor quietly inquired. "Why would she leave without saying goodbye?" Lussuria moped, slowly sitting down. "Could it be she can't deal with goodbyes?" Fran, hunched over his food and leaning on an arm, played with his meal. "Why are you taking this so lightly, frog? Aren't you two dating?" Bel argued. "Hm, Jo-sempai didn't tell you? That was the reason why I pushed her into your room. Jo-sempai and I broke up last night" Fran frankly stated.

"What did she tell you, sempai?" Hints of curiosity were found in everyone present in the room. "Fran and Joey dated? Why didn't she tell me~" Lussuria whined. Bel paused for awhile. Was that why she kissed him? "Bel-sempai, what did Jo-sempai tell you" Fran asked once more. "Ushishishi~ that's our secret" "Does this mean we need to look for a new cloud guardian?" Levi chugged down a glass of water. "No" Xanxus declined. "So we'll be cloud guardian-less?" Bel cut his lobster caviar omelette. "Joey never resigned. She's still the cloud guardian" He replied.

…

…

"I'm still the cloud guardian…" Joey realized, her eyes shooting open, she had arrived in the castle already, greeted her mother and was now sitting in a large marble bath tub. Billions of bubbles scented with rose and lavender extract lingered in her spacious bathroom. "It sucks how I wasn't able to say goodbye to Squalo, Lussuria, Levi, Fran and… Bel properly…" Joey sunk her head under the water and went back up for air. "I didn't even tell Bel yet…" Joey mumbled.

"Princess" A maid knocked and entered. "Bel!" Joey shot down under the water. "P-princess… My name's Lisa… Gina sent me here to give you towels. Forgive me if I scared you" Joey poked her head out and saw a petite blond lady with neatly folded towels bound by her arms. "No, forgive me, I'm quite jumpy right now" Joey signalled her to leave the towels on the sink. After Lisa had bowed down and left, Joey stepped out of the bath tub and got a towel to wrap her body in.

"WHY AM I THINKING OF BEL?" She scolded herself. "Because you love him" Isabella's voice called behind her door. "I DO NOT!" Joey retorted. "_Damn it, Gina. If you told Isabella…_" She violently screamed in her mind. "Then can I have him?" Isabella asked. "NO!" Joey threw the door open and saw Isabella standing a couple feet away from her, wearing a modified version of their gowns before. "Then you are in love with him" Her sister ribbed. "I do not…" Joey's face grew a shade of cherry

"You just left them. I didn't think you were like that, Josephine" Isabella strolled to Joey's bed and sat down. "Because I know they won't let go" Joey felt her hair cling to her face and droplets started to dampen her carpets. "Especially Bel, no?" Isabella played with her hair, wrapping her finger around it. "Yes" Joey sighed. She slipped on her under garments and threw her towel to Isabella. "Hmph!" Isabella threw it towards a different direction. "Isabella…" Joey slid the dress above her. "Yes, Josephine?" Isabella watched her zip the backless white and pink gown.

"Why do you like Bel?"  
>"Hm? Cuz he's adorable"<br>"And so?"  
>"Josephine, why do you like him?"<br>"I don't…"  
>"Did he kiss you or something?"<p>

Joey choked on her nothing. Isabella rose up. "He did!" She screamed "How many times?" Isabella shrieked. "It's none of your… 3" Joey coughed. "Aw~ even I haven't had my first kiss yet" Isabella sighed "Tell me about it, sorella~" "Absolutely not" Joey glared at her. "Please?" Isabella followed her sister out her room. "2 were made by him" Joey grumbled, hoping she didn't hear. "So there was one kiss that YOU made!" Isabella had to proclaim it out loud, making the maids look at them. "Shut the fuck up, Isa" Joey covered her mouth. Isabella pulled away "I like that name, Josephine~" "Then use it" Joey started to walk away. "Where are you going?" She tagged along. "To talk to mother, PRIVATELY" the last word stopped Isabella in her tracks. "O… Okay"

Joey reached the royal courtyard where her mother sat by the tall fountain filled with goldfishes. "Mother…" She shyly called. "Hm? Why, Josephine, you're blooming. Are you in love?" Katherine giggled. "No!" Joey, frustrated, replied. "Aha, you are. What brings you here, Josephine?" "In 8 days time, I must leave for awhile" "Why so? You just arrived" Katherine said. "I'm still Varia's cloud guardian. I have to go to Japan. It's sort of… necessary" Joey combed her wet hair with her fingers. "Very well, Josephine" Katherina returned to looking at the horizon. "Josephine, I hope you will be able to tell me who your heart yearns for" "I'm not in love!"

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**OKAY. I JUST REALIZED MY PLOT IS WRONG. THE BATTLE THAT WILL TAKE PLACE WILL BE CHOICE. I AM SOOO STUPID. PLEASE BEAR WITH ME AND IMAGINE IT WAS THE FINAL BATTLE ALREADY, OKAY? REVIEWS PLEASE! (Sorry, once again)**


	20. Airplane Ride to Japan

**CHAPTER 18. LIKE I SAID, INSTEAD OF CHOICE, IT WOULD BE THE FINAL FUTURE BATTLE**

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"Heading to Japan already, Josephine? A little excited to see Bel?" Isabella rolled on Joey's bed as she watched her sister change to her Varia uniform. "Would you like to come? I'm not even going to show my face, I'll be helping in the shadows until I see someone gets hurt" Joey slid her legs into the black socks. "I would love to help out!" Isabella jolted up, her face lit up like a puppy. "Your ex-boss will be there… Byakuran is it?" Isabella pouted "So will that Bluebell"

After Joey had put her boots on and tucked her weapons in them, she veered to Isabella. "Shouldn't you change? Do you plan in fighting in a dress?" "What should I wear?" The 24 year old asked. "Isabella, you're not going on a date. Wear something comfortable to fight in, like shorts and a decent shirt" Joey rolled her eyes. "Hm… can I borrow your skirt?" Isabella stood up and stretched her arms upwards. "Fine. Hurry up" Joey grabbed an extra skirt of her Varia uniform and tossed it to her.

"_Take care of yourselves, Josephine, Isabella. I expect to see you again after this battle of yours" Katherine bid her daughters farewell. "We promise, mother" The two responded. _

Sitting in Aerbourne's private jet, the two sisters laid back at the reclining chairs. "Our kingdom was left with no leader but they prayed and believe we will return and managed to keep the country alive and well" Isabella looked out her window and saw the new buildings added to their kingdom. "They said the Aristocrats had temporarily taken over. After my outbreak, they decided to work hard and obtain the slaves our father had sold to the neighbouring countries" Joey buckled her seatbelt tighter. "So in the end, you ended up being a hero for killing our father" Isabella glanced over to her. "I regret it, honestly" She sighed.

"I guess it's for the better" Isabella pressed the Varia skirt down and un-tucked her pink sweater that matched her black ankle boots pretty well. "My Ladies" Gina and 2 other women went out the cockpit and bowed. "It will take 2 days to get there. Will there be anything you need?" They asked. "I'd like some dessert actually" Joey uncertainly said "Craving for sweets, Josephine? As do I, please" Isabella supposed. "As you wish" The 3 headed down the aisle into the kitchen. "I don't usually crave for sweets like right now" Joey removed her belt and twisted to her side to face Isabella. "Maybe you miss Bel's kisses" Joey violently threw a small pillow at her.

"Will you stop mentioning him?" she viciously spat. "I thought I would be making you happy. Josephine, it's all over your face. You turn red at sound of his name, the thought of his face and you just can't admit it yet. Surely you miss him, Josephine, it will be a burden on you if you keep refuting those feelings" Isabella rubbed her sore cheek. "What will happen if one day, Bel would stop loving you and loves someone else? Every moment counts, Josephine" She left her sister dumbstruck. "What's wrong?" "How the hell are you able to conclude that Isabella?" Joey exclaimed. "I should know, Josephine. You did that to me before" Isabella found herself touching her eye patch.

"I… I was a horrible sister wasn't I?" Josephine mumbled. "Absolutely not, Josephine, you've been such a protective sister to ever since… I was born! Up to the point where I was your enemy, you still protected me! You told Xanxus to spare my life. Josephine, I'm the horrible sister, I tried to take everything from you. The crown, your life… even Belphegor" Isabella alleged. "He's not mine" "But you got mad at me for asking if I could have him. Josephine, I could tell you're in love with him. But I know you're afraid of the truth, and the truth is you love" "SHUT UP" Joey screeched, leaving Isabella to bite her lower lip.

"I do love him! Happy? I resent how I wasn't able to tell him when he confessed his feelings to me. I resent how I can't just come clean about it!" Joey's tears welled up. "I have not one clue why I can't just accept the fact though I know it's true. I might be Philophobic[**1**], or just plain shy. Isabella, you have no idea how much I would want to run up to him and just… divulge how I feel, nevertheless, instead of doing so, I avoid him and turn bitter" Isabella removed her belt and sat on Joey's lap. "Sorella… I'm sorry for bringing him up so much. I really didn't think it would hurt you greatly. I'm sorry for everything" She pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry for everything too" Joey hugged her tighter. "I love you, Josephine" Isabella whispered. "As do I, Isabella. I love you as much" Joey replied. "You see?" Isabella pulled away with a smile on her face. "Saying 'I love you' is easy" She said. Joey let out a short chuckle "You're my sister, Isabella. It's true and it would be very evident" "Whatever you say, Josephine" Isabella returned to her seat. Gina came in with a tray with their snacks on them. "Strawberry shortcake with pure Belgian chocolate syrup" Gina announced, placing the slice of cake onto the pull out table hidden in the arm of their seats.

"Gina, you must be enthusiastic to be with Varia again" Joey teasingly said while she lifted her fork. "Hm?" Gina held the tray to her chest. "Don't you want to see Xanxus?" "My Lady!" Gina furiously blushed, embracing the tray. "Oho~ Gina and Xanxus?" Isabella let the cake melt in her mouth with an inquiring look at her sister. Joey winked and Gina left the room with the same red face. "How the hell" "I don't know, Isabella. They just did" Joey laughed. "Wait a minute. How will we know where the battle will be?" Isabella blinked. "I know where the Vongola base is. We could go there first. That's why we need to arrive before Varia" Joey told her "However, Squalo might be there…" She remembered. "Then let me go first. He knows I'm on your side right?" Isabella forked another part of her cake. "Okay, then I'll just tag along?" Joey bit her fork. "I can't wait to see Bluebell die~" Isabella fantasized. "You're just jealous because you can't snuggle up to Byakuran like she can" Joey poured more syrup on her cake. "No. She thinks she can boss me around cuz she's one of the six funeral wreaths" Isabella mocked Bluebells voice. Joey slightly shook her head and stared outside, they were above the ocean already. How can she face the rest of the members of Varia when she sees them again?

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**[1] Philophobic/Philophobia :: Fear of falling in love or being in love**

**Reviews please! Anon Reviews are enabled for now. I'm thinking this story would have a sequel and it would be about [insert spoiler here], no? Just wait for it ;;) Also her character songs! REVIEWS PLEASE. And follow me on tumblr ;) though, I am just a reblogger. :)))) I'll post how my character looks like. skylarkwings is mah url**


	21. Final Future Battle

**CHAPTER 19.**

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"Hm? That's Mukuro, Josephine?" Isabella asked, turning her attention to the pineapple haired male standing by Fran. The two were secretly tucked above the trees and watched the Funeral Wreaths and Vongola beneath them. "I believe so… Isabella, don't mind him, we need to find out what that thing is" Joey studied the large translucent human form slowly stride across the clearing in the middle of the forest. "Josephine, it sucks the dying will out of everyone! Bluebell just died!" Isabella's voice didn't sound so happy. She wanted to kill Bluebell herself. "You mean that thing it's shooting out is going to kill you by taking your dying will?" Joey took a precautionary step closer to Isabella, seeing something curve in the corner of her eye. "I guess so…" She slowly replied. "Isabella, DUCK!" Joey grabbed her sister by her shoulders, pulled her to a hug and sent them falling to the ground. After the dust settled, Isabella found her face shoved into Joey's chest. "Josephine, are you okay?" She pushed herself up. "Fine" Joey replied with a weak smile. "J-Joey?"

Bel couldn't believe his eyes. Josephine Katherina Giovanni was there in front of him. "What took you so long?" Xanxus angrily asked. "We were here the whole time, up there" Isabella pointed up to where they hid, after helping her sister stand. "Hi, Jo-sempai~" Fran waved at her. "H-hey" Joey waved back at him. She wasn't really planning to reveal herself. The real plan was that she would come help in the shadows and the only one will know she was there was Xanxus. "Kufufu~ pay attention, little one" Mukuro stabbed Fran with his trident. "Ow, master~" Fran boringly said. "Wait, Josephine, let me do a quick roll call, that's Hayato, Ryohei, Takeshi, Chrome, and Lambo" Isabella tugged on Joey's sleeve. "I think you got everyone right. Why do you even want to know?" She intriguingly asked. "I'm like part of Vongola now, aren't I?" The child at heart twiddled her thumbs together. "Traitor" A man with long, mint green hair, matching 'eye shadow', and an open shirt, called out. "Kikyo-sama! I mean… Kikyo…" Isabella stammered.

"O-ho, is this your infamous sister you wished to kill, Isabella?" He eyed Joey like some rare jewel "Why is she still alive?" Kikyo raised an inquisitive brow at her. "Because I spared her so she's doing the same. The details are out of your reach already" Joey inserted, clearly glaring at him. "Oho~ you have a feisty sister, Isabella. You left out Lord Byakuran for her?" "She would choose family over some white devil anytime" Joey answered for her sister who firmly nodded. "Family? You consider that woman who _killed _you and your father years ago, YOUR FAMILY? She took your eye out and made sure you didn't have a single breath to spare. Lord Byakuran however, came to your rescue and gave you back your life to seek revenge" The cloud funeral wreath retorted "That woman is nothing but a b…" A blade boomeranged across Kikyo's face, scratching his forehead. Skilfully catching the unconnected chain scythe, Isabella handed back her sister's weapon to her. "I know my sister's mistake. I thank Byakuran for the gift of rebirth but, I know the one at fault is me. And like my sister said, the details are out of your reach"

"What is that thing?" Joey snapped her finger towards the giant walking across the clearing. Kikyo fell silent, staring at the enormous being. They watched the rest try to finish it off, but ended up having their dying will get slowly sucked out. "J-Judaime!" Someone screamed out, referring to the boy flying towards the monstrous creature. Doing a weird, for Isabella and Joey, hand positions. "Zero point breakthrough?" Another exclaimed. "Josephine, I'm lost" "Let's just watch…" Joey squint her eyes at the bright light. "We'll all be sucked in!" Kikyo exclaimed. "They're both sucking dying wills…" Joey didn't bother check who said that. Soon after, Ghost, the giant being, was gone. "So Ghost was just a ball of flames?" Her eyes fell upon someone who said the sentence. What was she suppose to say? She chose her family over them? Though it's been a couple weeks since she joined Varia, welcomed or not, she loved them… _him_.

"Why won't you just talk to him?" Isabella murmured. "I don't plan to" Joey averted her gaze back at the groups conclusion of the battle. "Not a simple "Hello" "Sorry, I left" or something like that?" Isabella glanced over to her. "No. In fact, I'm pretty sure Tsuna has this in the bag. We'll leave right after the show" Joey jumped up a tree and made herself comfortable. Isabella shot a confused look at her. "But the thing's gone now…" "Something doesn't feel right" Joey replied. "I agree" Squalo nodded in a sullen way. "Impressive indeed" A voice rose from nowhere. "Byakuran-sama!" Kikyo and Isabella pointed up to the sky. A white haired male with wings flew above them. "I… I mean, Byakuran" Isabella coughed.

"I'm honoured to be in the presence of so many notable faces" He smiled as if he wasn't the antagonist. "The boss of the Chiavorone family, Vongola's independent assassination group, Varia, Mukuro-kun and his followers, the guardians of Vongola, and lastly, the tenth himself, Tsunayoshi Sawada…" He gave a quick roll call. Spotting a familiar blue head and purple head, he added "My, my, Aerbourne's princesses, Josephine and Isabella Giovanni are here too"

"How big is your mouth when you were with them?" Joey looked down to her sister. "I rant, okay?" Isabella blushed in embarrassment. "Aw, Isabella~" Byakuran purred her name. "By the way, Tsunayoshi, to be able to coerce Mukuro-kun and Xanxus-kun to submit to you, when they, too, once tried to kill you…" "Hey, scum. Whoever said I was submitting to him?" Xanxus raised his gun towards Byakuran and shot him. "Kufufu. He's got that right" Mukuro ignited his hell ring and attacked as well.

"I see, so sorry. Anyway, it looks like you're all quite worn out" Byakuran appeared out of the debris, unhurt. "I see you're all worn out… Was that just a feeble attack?" He added. "Stay back, I'll be his match" Tsuna defensively raised an arm. "Not just yet, Tsunayoshi. I absolutely hate traitors" Byakuran coldly stared down at Isabella, who gradually stepped back. "Don't you dare hurt her" Joey warned with a straight face. "Then I guess you'll go first~" Byakuran snapped and Cloud Bellflowers wrapped around Joey. "Ngh" She bit her lower lip, she felt every energy of hers draining. "Joey!" Varia screamed. "Isabella~ all you have to do is go back to our side and Kikyo will spare her" "Let her die" Isabella smiled. "hm? Your own sister? Betraying her once more?~" "Isabella, what the hell are you doing?" Belphegor screamed. "Hm? Just squeeze the life out of her, Kikyo-sama. I dare you" "Hn, You heard Isabella-chan's request, Kikyo. **KILL HER**" Kikyo nodded "As you wish, Byakuran-sama"

The vines tightened and literally broke Joey's body. But instead of blood, indigo butterflies dispersed. "An illusion?" Kikyo couldn't believe he was fooled once more. A deafening hiss brought about a short earthquake. "What the…" Kikyo watched Isabella giggle and diffuse into butterflies as well. Out of the forest, a large black snake shot towards the sky. "What the hell is that?" Dino staggered a bit. "Tsuna!" Joey called out from the large snakes head. "You go defeat him" Joey winked and Tsuna instinctively agreed to her. The snake shrinked down a bit, enough to match Kikyo's Velociraptors. "Good luck, Kikyo~" Isabella stepped into view from behind Joey. Taking her scythe out, she grimly inserted "You'll need it"

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**I am soooo sorry I just updated now. I usually plan to post before or on Friday :/ This chapter was rushed for all of you! REVIEWS PLEASE**


	22. IM SORRY

**I'm sorry if you guys think this is another chapter.**

**I am officially announcing to all of you that I, Rowzhyan, author of Varia's Cloud Guardian…**

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**WILL BE HOSTING A LEMON WRITING CONTEST!**

**What kind of lemon story?**

-A oneshot story that I will publish as a chapter [with credits ;)]

-Fluff, HARDCORE. Whatever, best one, WILL WIN

**Between who?**

Josephine and Bel of course :)

**THEM AND THEM ONLY**

**PRIZE?**

You get to…

-read the story first before I publish it

-hear Joey's character song/s [when I'm done]

-be my beta reader [Sorta the same as the first one]

-Be my friend in facebook~ [You know… if you want too…]

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**GO MY READERS, LET YOUR FINGERS TYPE UNTIL THE BEST LEMON STORY WRITTEN ABOUT JOEY AND BELPHEGOR BE MADE!**

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… **BTW, SEND IT TO MY EMAIL :: [found on my profile]**

**;)**


	23. FFB ending

**CHAPTER 20**

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Kikyo dodged another attack from Stheno, Joey, and Isabella at once. "Oho~ 3 against 1 isn't fair" He jumped back and let his velociraptors do all the work.

"Josephine, this is honestly hard…" Isabella anticipated another velociraptor to shoot out the ground.

"…" Joey bit her lower lip and brought out her mist butterflies.

"Plan in mind?" Isabella whispered over, while dodging another attack.

"A bit risky though…" She replied back, positioning herself in clear area where he can attack her easily.

In the distance, some spectators were torn between watching Tsuna and Joey.

"Uh, Jo-sempai…" Fran quietly said.

"Hm?" Bel heard him and turned to his direction, seeing Joey run into a spot where she can be hit. Seeing one of the dinosaur heads hover above her, he jerked forward "Joey!"

"Bel, no!" Isabella screamed back.

Joey's arm got chafed by the dinosaur's teeth. She fell back and got caught by Bel. "Are you crazy?" They screamed at each other at the same time.

"What?" Bel whispered.

"Thanks for ruining the plan!" Joey's eye twitched, collected herself and pulled away from Bel.

"What did I do?" Bel crossed his arms.

"Watch out!" Isabella pushed them away as another Velociraptor sprouted out of the ground.

"Bel just go" Joey dusted her skirt and paced forward.

"…" Bel felt stupid for doing that. He should have known Joey was smart enough to do such things. Bel gradually walked back towards Fran, trying to hide his shame.

"Sempai?" Fran asked.

"Shut up, froggy" Bel spat, watching Tsuna's fight again.

"…" Isabella blinked at her sister and how her face spelt lament.

"Oho. Lover's quarrel?" Kikyo teased.

"NO!" Joey connected her chain scythes and charged at Kikyo while her weapon changed to a larger scythe. Kikyo leapt up to one of the dinosaurs and chuckled again.

"She's still in denial?" Kikyo turned to her sister who attacked him.

"When he's around" She scoffed, swinging her scythe across his neck, which he dodged again.

"Isabella Giovanni! This is not the time for you to RANT about MY problems!" Joey crossed her arms and brought about a straight face

"Well it's… YUNI-SAMA!" Isabella's eyes caught sight of the young girl in a clear orb, floating towards a much larger dome that contained Byakuran and Tsuna

"She's the sky Arcobaleno's granddaughter… am I correct?" Joey asked, dropping her arms

"You are" Isabella ran closer to the dome

"This isn't over" Joey narrowed her eyes at Kikyo

"It will. When Lord Byakuran wins" He cockily replied.

Joey couldn't help but roll her eyes. She was feeling weak already. She literally started to see small stars in her head.

She squint her eyes to the messy blonde head in the distance. _I'm so sorry_

"Joey-kun!" familiar voices rang up behind her

It was Haru and Kyoko, tagging along was Bianchi

"Are you okay?" the 3 girls helped her stand up straight

"I think so" Joey gripped on Bianchi's hand

"Oh dear, Joey. You have fever" Hayato's older sister said with concern

"Hahi! Joey-kun, you need to rest" Haru exclaimed, taking her other hand

"I want to watch the battle. I'll be fine, trust me" Joey forced out a weak smile

"Are you sure, Joey-kun?" Kyoko asked

"Who can't watch this right now?" She murmured

The 3 helped her to the nearest tree where she can still watch the battle. Haru and Kyoko brought her a small towel and a jug of water (She didn't even know where they got that)

"Josephine!" Isabella kneeled beside her

"Thanks so much for leaving in the middle of a fight"

"I'm sorry, Josephine. The battle took a turning point!" Her younger sister reasoned

"Watch the battle for me, Isabella. I might blackout" Joey brought her legs closer to her chest and rested her forehead on her knees

"It's best if you return to the plane…" Isabella laid a hand on her shoulder

"…" Joey secretly glanced at Belphegor and sighed "I know. But the battle…"

"Screw the battle, sis. Your health is everything"

"And this battle is our future" She snapped her head upwards and felt an icy jolt of pain across her head

"Josephine!"

"_We're open to suggestions for your method of death_" Fran's distinct voice woke her up.

"Good morning, princess~" Isabella teased

"Shut up, princess" She spat. Her back was sore from the tree she was leaning on. She could tell that her fever got worse.

"The Battle's over. Byakuran's dead! S-so is Yuni-sama and Gamma-chan" Isabella frowned

"What? How?" Joey's torso numbed

"Sacrificed themselves" Isabella muttered, looking away

"Joey-kun! You're awake!" Lussuria squealed as always "It's very bad to leave without saying goodbye" He shook a finger at her

"Especially when you're leaving the prince" Bel scooped her up and carried her like the princess she is

"What the… hmph. Fine" Joey's back was numb, and she already accepted the fact that she loved him so…

"Ushishishi~ captivated by the prince's beauty?" He caught her staring right at him

"You have a bug on your hair, GENIUS" She lied, rolling her eyes

"Drop her" Xanxus inserted, crossing his arms

Bel obeyed, raising his hands up to show he had let her go

Joey plummeted to the ground, making her cough out a small 'oof'

"Are you okay?" Xanxus scoffed

"Never better" Joey sat up, her voice rung with sarcasm

"So much for helping in the shadows" Her 'older brother' scoffed once more

"I did my best okay" Joey forced herself to stand up, her knees slightly shaking

"But your best wasn't good enough" Isabella squealed, remembering a love quote

"OF COURSE THERE WAS, KORA!" A loud, yet familiar voice echoed

"That voice!" Lal exclaimed, pointing towards the pile of pacifiers

The Arcobaleno's are revived once more

Each had their own reaction to their sudden appearance of the world's strongest babies

"Isabella.. Let's take this opportunity to leave" Joey whispered on over to Isabella who nodded.

They both slowly backed up and once they were out of sight, they walked faster towards their plane

"Where do you think you're going, princess~" Oh crap.

Isabella held in a giggle and skipped away

Bel tightened his grip around Joey's wrist

"Home.." She replied, in a quick tone

"Without a goodbye from your prince?" Bel snickered

"You're not _my_ prince" She can't believe she just said that. Her mouth was ajar from those words.

Bel's mouth was closed, frowning and clearly dismayed by her words.

"I…" She mouthed

"If I'm not _your _prince, then who is?" His usually cheeky voice deepened

Her eyebrows curved worryingly, she had never seen him act like this

"If I'm not _your_ prince, then why kiss me that night?" He slowly pulled her closer

She didn't want to resist, in fact, she took a couple more steps closer to him. She was literally under his chin.

"Cause I believed it would be my only chance to do so" She looked up at him with blank eyes

"You have now…" He let go of her wrist and cupped her face

Her heart beat raced and she could feel herself gradually lean forward

"_Your duties as a princess_…"

She pulled away, stepping back a good feet away from him

"No I don't" She said, turning on her heels and quickly ran to her plane

"_You're already bound to either an aristocrat's son or a prince from a neighbouring kingdom_"

Fuck that shit

"_It's your duty…_"

Mulan once said: "My duty is to my heart"

My heart belongs to…

Belphegor watched her run off and sighed

"Bel~ We have a slight problem…" Lussuria pranced beside him

"Ushishishi~ and you need the Prince's help?"

"Our own jet is having some major problems… Would you be a dear and call for another one? I'm still tending to the others health"

Bel paused then laughed "I know where we can take a flight back home. I know a certain little princess for that~"

"You're right! Do you mind going to her? Maybe they can delay their flight for awhile until the boss can catch up" Lussuria glanced over to their boss

"I… uh… get that frog to that!" Bel reasoned, throwing his arms behind his head

"Hm? I thought you'd be happy to do that"

"I'm tired and lazy to run after the princess" He explained, making Lussuria believe him

"Okay then. FRAN~" He whipped his head towards the newcomer who stood behind his master

Joey and Isabella remained unspoken in a different room in their private plane.

"Josephine…" Isabella spoke up

"Is it really necessarily for them to go back to Italy right after the battle?" She exploded, throwing her arms to the side and slumping down lower in her seat

"It's Xanxus' orders" Gina entered the room with a tray in her hand

"You must be so happy" Joey grumbled, staring at the chocolate parfait Gina had placed in front of her

"Quite" Gina slightly skipped to give Isabella her own serving

"Did you serve them their own?" Isabella asked, gladly receiving the tall glass

"Not yet" Gina hugged the tray to her chest

"Then I'll help you! I'll prove to them that I'm really nice" Isabella jumped out of her seat and took Gina by her wrist.

"Let's go!" The obnoxious 24 year old cheered

"Oh… okay" Gina sweatdropped. This was going to lead into disaster.

With the silence inhabiting the whole room, Joey took the time for her to rest back.

She specifically ordered every maid aboard to prevent anyone but themselves and Gina to enter the room she was currently in.

She slowly closed her eyes and sank back to the cloudlike pillow on her back

"_Ushishishi~_" Her eyes shot open. No. Hell. No.

"_The prince wants to see the princess~_"

"_Sorry Belphegor-sama, but it was her orders not to be disturbed. I believe Lady Josephine is sleeping_" Gina replied

"_Please Gina?_" Bel whimpered "_At least let me watch her sleep_"

Pervert. Peeve. Joey's face was unpaintable after Bel had said such thing

"_Absolutely not, Bel-sama. That may lead to my own death. If she ever found out about it, I mean_" Joey couldn't help but silently laugh

There was long silence before she heard Bel reply

"_Gina. You know how much I love her right? Do you know if she feels the same?_"

"_I'm afraid that if I answer that question, it will also lead to my death… however… it's for the better cause_" Shit.

Joey sat up. Gina couldn't be seriously telling him, right?

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**Sorry for the late update. School. :| Reviews? Please and thank you**


	24. Airplane Ride to Italy

**CHAPTER 21**

**Airplane ride to Italy**

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Joey was already thinking of numerous ways to punish Gina.

"_Go ahead, tell me_" Bel snickered

"_Lady Josephine has a lot of reasons why she's acting this way. Bel-sama, she's the princess of Aerbourne. She has a lot of duties to fulfil and by law she is already bound to…_" Gina's voice had paused

Joey stood up and neared the door. Gina can't tell him she was engaged to someone.

"_Bound to what?_"

"_Forgive, but I can't tell you after all. I live up to my Lady… and I choose to be, not forced_"

"_Ushishishi~ princess is lucky to have a loyal servant like you_"

"_And you, Bel-sama, are lucky to have met her…_"

Joey sighed and silently thanked Gina

"_Can I go in now?_"

"_Please return to your seat, Bel-sama_" Gina flatly stated.

…

"Okay! Who's hungry?" Isabella hopped to middle of the aisle, holding a tray of chocolate parfait

"I'd love to taste those!" Lussuria cheered, sitting up from the inclined chair

"Here you go!" She handed a glass of the cold treat to him and then to the rest, serving Bel last.

"Why so glum, Bel?" She asked before setting down the dish

"Go away" He grumbled, crossing his arms like a little boy

"My dessert will help!" She exclaimed, pushing it towards him

Bel simply pushed it back and folded his arms

"Hihi~ you want to see my sister?" She whispered to him

"No! uhm… yes…" He turned beet red

"I'll distract Gina" She pointed to her eye and winked

The 24 year old skipped to Gina and murmured something over to her

The lady-in-waiting's eyes widened right before she ran to the back where the kitchen was located

Isabella then winked at Bel, who didn't understand why she did

Finally receiving the point of the wink, he casually walked over to the door and entered the room before Joey's

He then quietly skipped to the door and gently twisted the knob

"Hm. Isabella? Keep quiet" He heard Joey softly speak, slightly muffled under a white blanket

Bel tiptoed by her seat and stared at her sleeping figure

"Just who are you bound to?" He rumoured under his breath

With an instant voice recognition in her head, her blue eyes fluttered open and looked up at the blonde above her

"Gi-…" Bel quickly covered her mouth

"Just answer my questions, just give me 5 minutes" He watched her hold up an open hand

"Yes. Just 5 minutes" He assured her

Joey nodded and breathed deeply right after he removed his hand

"What are you bound to?" Bel immediately asked

She looked down with her lips slightly parting. What was she to say?

"I'm bound to… rather… I'm…" She can't stop stuttering

She's very sure she doesn't want to tell Bel, though she knew he should know sooner or later

"Just tell me. It wouldn't change anything"

"Yes it would!" She retorted immediately "It would change everything…" Her voice lowered

"What are you bound to?"

"I'm bound to… rather…" How can she just say the words…

"_I'm engaged to someone else_"

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**Sorry if its short. Reviews please. Follow my twitter – WOAHPiso**

**Also, I didn't proof read this. I'm so sorry. I just wanted to update **


	25. Farewell

**CHAPTER 22**

**...**

**...**

Joey distraughtly stared at Bel, her mind and heart clashing with one another as they debated whether to tell him or not.

"You can't say it, can you" Bel frowned, standing up straight

"I'm sorry" Joey unknowingly replied, looking down on her lap

"I can always ask Isabella right?" He turned to the door

"NO!" She grabbed his arm, forcefully restraining him

Bel glanced at her and palely blushed at her position

Kneeling on her seat, she leaned over the seats arm and gripped on his. Joey was biting her lower lip with her cheeks glowing pink

"It's best if I told you" She sighed, standing beside him

"Go on then" His hand slid down to her hand and held it tightly

"It's a rule in Aerbourne that the princess needs to marry…"

"Ushishishi~ then marry me, I'm a prince!" He interrupted

"Bel, please!" She whined, slightly stomping as she did so

"Bel," She paused, seeing him pay close attention to her "I"

-Bing-

The 'Fasten your seatbelt' was blinking

With a sudden motion of tipping down, Bel toppled over Joey and nearly crushed her

"Are you okay?" He hovered above her as soon as the plane felt stable

"I-I'm fine" She gulped, seeing how close they were to each other

Joey was pinned down to the floor, cliché.

"Ushishishi~ I won't get up until you tell me what you're bound to" He blackmailed

Her mind went black. Finding herself staring at his lips, her hands slithered to his face

"Princess?"

She pulled him closer, letting their lips touch

Bel immediately reacted, deepening the kiss

A little while later, their first French kiss began

Their tongues clashed, fighting for dominance, until Joey let him take over

"JOSEPHINE/MY LADY"

The two parted in a snap, looking up, they saw Gina and Isabella covered in chocolate ice and staring down at them

"My lady!" Gina repeated, running to Joey and helping her up

"I know Gina, but…"

"Gina, it's my fault" Bel stood up, taking all the blame

"Josephine, I know you love Bel but I also thought you knew your limits!" Isabella inserted

Joey, being ganged up by Gina and Isabella, felt the burden of guilt weigh down on her heart

"Josephine" Isabella sternly said "You know you're bound to someone else"

"S-someone else? Jo, you're engaged?" They had completely forgotten his presence

"No! Yes… not yet…" It was over. She couldn't hope that anything else can happen between them.

"What do you mean?" Bel felt exactly the same, but neither would say that they'll do anything just to be with each other

Her heart dropped down, she couldn't feel her own pulse "I'm designated to another prince… Gina, bring Bel out" Joey hugged herself and went back to her seat

"Forgive me, Bel-sama" She bowed

Bel was lost for words, and didn't even realize that he voluntarily walked out when Gina pushed him to

Isabella feared for her sister's emotional health

She sat on the arm of Joey's chair and brought her sisters head to her chest, hugging her

At that moment, Joey cried her heart out. Pain-filled tears welled up and trickled down her cherry blossom cheeks

"I'm so sorry, Josephine" She whispered, brushing Joey's hair with her fingers

"I love him" Joey felt an empty cavity in her chest

…

"Will you explain some things, Gina?" the blonde prince asked

"Please don't give up on Lady Josephine. Bel-sama, I can assure you, she loves you and I believe she will do anything to be yours"

"But who's the other prince?"

"I don't know; it's either a prince or an aristocrat's son. It is part of tradition to do so. King Giovanni, my lady's father, was an aristocrat's son" Gina informed him

"Did her mom agree to marry him?" Bel inquired

"Queen Katherina is a peaceful heart. She would obey any command unlike Lady Josephine"

Bel wanted to know so much more, he only hoped the words came out of Joey's and not Gina's

"Forgive me, Bel-sama, but the plane will soon be landing. Please take your seat and fasten your seatbelt" Gina opened the door for him

Gina caught a glimpse of Xanxus sleeping and effervescently smiled

"Ushishishi~ what did you see in our boss?" He chuckled before heading back to his seat, leaving Gina blush a dark hue of red

"Sempai~ where have you been?" Fran, obviously bored, asked

"None of your business, stupid frog" Bel spat, looking out the window after locking his seat belt

He still wanted to know more about Aerbourne.

"_I'm designated to another prince_" It stung every time.

"_She will do anything to be yours_" Bel shut his eyes and echoed those words in his head

…

"Thanks for the ride" Xanxus said to Isabella and Gina

"No problem!" Isabella cheerfully replied "It was a pleasure riding with you, here in Aerbourne Airline!"

Everyone, even Xanxus, had to sweat drop after hearing that

"Where's your sister?" Varia's boss asked

Isabella and Gina momentarily looked at each other

Joey, in fact, was tucked in her inclined chair, sleeping after almost crying for about an hour before they landed

"She's asleep and Gina can tell you right now, Josephine is not the type of person you should wake up untimely… our blood type is AB*" She guiltlessly smiled

"Very well" Xanxus went down the escalator by the side of the plane, followed by the rest of Varia (Squalo is not with them)

"Thank you for the ride, Isabella, Gina. I hope you can drop by the mansion from time to time~" Lussuria hugged the lady-in-waiting, who gave silent choke

"Isabella-sempai, tell Jo-sempai thank you for me" Fran gave her a thumb up

"Hm? Sempai? I'm just 24" Isabella crossed her arms, offended by the term

"Oh. Isabella-chan then?" Fran gave a minute smile; nevertheless, Isabella didn't fail to notice this

"M-much better…" She tried not to blush while he followed Lussuria down the escalator

"Ushishishi~ fallen for a frog, little princess?" Bel teased, as if nothing happened on the plane 2 hours back

"Get off the plane, Bel" Isabella went back to the room and left Bel and Gina laughing at her

"Gina, uhm, take care of her for me?" Bel instructed, skipping down the escalator

"As you wish, Bel-sama" Gina called back at him

…

…

**Am I updating too fast? Meaning the story is too short?**

***Blood type AB = It's an Ouran thing :P**

**Reviews :)**


	26. First Month: Aerbourne's Reborn Party

**Chapter 23**

**First month: Aerbourne**

…

…

The sound of running water echoed out of Joey's bathroom. Aerbourne's princess stepped out of her open shower and wrapped herself in her handmade-in-Aerbourne robe.

"Your clothes have been laid out, my lady" A maid knocked on her bathroom door.

"You may go" Joey called back out, strolling out to her room after slipping on her undergarments

On her king-sized bed, that's been dressed in white lace and purple silk sheets, was her attire for the day: A floor length, tube dress wherein which the front part of the dress (thigh down) was open.

Joey picked up the dress and caressed the velvet cloth

"Are you ready to go?" Isabella entered without knocking, clothed in the exact same style of dress but in a shade of mint green

"Nope" Joey grunted, removing her robe, tossing it to a side, and slithered her body in.

"You don't want to go, do you?" Isabella watched Joey comb her mauve hair

"Not really. I'm a little lazy today" Joey wore her shin high stiletto boots and walked over to her sister

"That's something you don't hear every day. Josephine Giovanni, LAZY?" Isabella raised a brow

"What a miracle!" Joey sarcastically exclaimed, exiting the room with her sister

Isabella chuckled and took her sisters hand, swinging it back and forth

Her older sister smiled at her, but her smile slowly faded as she stared at her dress

"Is there something wrong with my dress?" Isabella stopped, looking down at her clothes

"No, no" It just reminded her of Fran

"I love this color, you know" Isabella twirled, letting her gown follow

"I thought your favorite color is pink" Joey eyed her sister

"N-not anymore" She blushed, scratching her head

Joey mischievously grinned and cleared her throat

"Hi, sempai~" She perfectly copied his voice, doubling the shade on Isabella's face

Joey let out a boisterous laugh and darted away, seeing her sister take out her scythe

"Ha, you do like him!" She jeered, lifting up her dress to allow her to run easily

"Shut up! I just like the color!" Isabella screamed back at her

"Good evening, Josephine, Isabella" Their mom appeared out of nowhere

"!" The two stopped in their tracks "G-good morning, mother"

"I see you're having fun…" Her brows furrowed at the scythe

"Sorry" Isabella kept her weapon away

"Are you both ready to host our gala?" Their mother pressed her floor length gold gown down.

"The real question is if Josephine can control herself as hundreds of princes and aristocrat's sons try to talk to her" Isabella shrugged

"Please try and control yourself, Josephine" Katherina laughed

"I make no promises" Joey was serious but said it in a joking voice

"Our Ladies," Gina came up behind them

"Yes, Georgina?" The queen acknowledged

"The ballroom has been set, the guests have arrived and your entrance is prepared, shall I make any other adjustments?"

"We'll make our appearance now" the queen stated

"Do we each have to make a speech?" Isabella whined, pulling her hair up into a bun

"Mother, say no" Josephine begged

"Very well, if you both don't want to say anything, so be it. It's fine with me" Their 'chill' mother replied

"…_Without further ado, to start of the rebirth of Aerbourne's kingdom, the royal Giovanni Family!_"

The door just ahead of them opened, and they stepped out, to be greeted by a large balcony

As they neared the edge, they overlooked a large crowd consisting of aristocrats, nobles, knights, and royal families from other kingdoms

"Thank you, everyone for coming…" The queen announced, a hidden microphone was along the marble ledge of the balcony

"_Josephine, I didn't think these many people would attend_" Isabella whispered over to her sister

"_Getting butterflies, sister? Think of frogs, they'll gladly take them away from you_"

Isabella blushed, breathing deep

"… My daughters, Josephine Katherine Giovanni and Isabella Margaret Giovanni…" Katherina introduced them, taking a step to the side

The two smiled at the crowd and they clapped at them

Thus, the party began.

The 3 ladies walked down to mingle with their guests

"Good evening, Princess Josephine and Princess Isabella" A young man approached them

"Good evening" Isabella replied, knowing Joey had no intention of doing so

"My name is Lawrence of Mirque" He bowed

Joey eyed him. He had jet black side swept hair, brown eyes, a lean physique and quite tall

"Would you like to dance, Josephine?" He offered

"No. I'm not in the mood to…" Her eagle eyes spotted a familiar scar

"Fratello!" She exclaimed, running to Xanxus with a massive bear hug

"Get off" He grumbled

"Aw come on! You know you miss me~" She teased, playfully poking his arm

"Hm" He breathed

"W-wait… does this mean you're with Vari-…"

"Ushishishi~"

"Hey, Jo-sempai"

"Joey-kun!"

"VOIIIII"

She couldn't explain the ecstatic joy brewing in her heart, seeing them in the flesh in their tuxedos

"What are you guys going here?" She felt like crying

Lussuria pointed to Gina who was serving drinks, who pointed to her mother

Her mother smiled, making her smile back

"She told us to come" Lussuria hugged Joey, squeezing the life out of her

"Ugh.. I honestly missed you guys…" She looked over to Fran

"Hey Fran, can you do me a favor?"

"What, sempai?" The teal haired boy asked

"Would you mind dancing with my sister?"

"Eh?" But before he could protest, Joey added "NOW" leaving him to walk towards Isabella

"Ushishishi~ would you care to dance, princess?" Bel stepped closer to her, loosening his tie

"How sure are you, I would want to?" Joey crossed her arms

"Ushishishi~ because I know you love me"

Joey was flushed, biting her lower lip

Bel held out his hand, attracting attention from the other boys who wanted to dance with her

With an inaudible sigh, she took his hand

The current song was a classic from a renowned European orchestra

He slipped his hands around her waist

"Bel, you're dancing with a princess, you don't dance as if we were in prom" She violently whispered, though she did liked their position

"Hmph" Bel grumbled, retreating his hands and took her right with left and slid his right back around her waist

"Bel, I'm sorry for not telling you… honestly, I didn't think I would get married to someone else until my mother accepted the throne, automatically making me Princess again" She murmured

"I don't give a fuck anymore, Jo. You're my princess, and mine only" He whispered back

She couldn't help but smile up at him

If only she could kiss him…

"Excuse me, but may I have a dance with the princess? It's rude to keep her all to yourself" A boy walked behind Bel

"Ushishishi~ But she _is_ mine" He turned to face his next victim

"Bel, they can't know" She reminded him

"But"

Joey let go of him and faced the other boy "I'm sorry but, I don't feel like dancing. Excuse me"

"Thanks a lot, punk" Bel warned the boy

"The name's Lawrence. Prince of Mirque" The boy narrowed his eyes at Bel and walked away

"Psh. I'm a Prince too" He grumbled, eyeing Lawrence. There was something off about him

…

Joey excused herself into the bathroom. She entered the large circular restroom with 8 cubicles around a fountain like faucet

"Why am I princess of Aerbourne?" She sighed

"Oh, Princess Josephine doesn't want to be a princess?" A nasal voice came out of one of the cubicles

A blonde in a fitting cocktail dress, matched with a feathered fan, leisurely walked beside her

"Good evening, Princess" She fanned herself in such an arrogant way

Joey didn't reply, she felt like slicing through her pretty little neck using her scythes

"Is it true that, you, Josephine, killed your own father?" She continued the egotistical motion with her hand

"Yes" Joey stated, resisting the urge to slice the bitch in front of her

"What nerve to return to Aerbourne" She scoffed, closing her fan

Joey watched her cup her hands under the fountain and rub them together

"You have no right to judge. They see me as a hero. I'm not proud of what I did. I deeply regret it"

"Oh really now? Okay… That blonde boy you were dancing with… you preferred him over my brother?"

"Your brother?"

The blonde in front of her dried her hands and opened her fan once more

"I'm the princess of Mirque, Elizabeth"

"Oh, Mirque? So your brother is that Lawrence" Joey recalled

"My brother is far more sophisticated then that pauper looking blondie"

"By blondie, do you mean you?" Joey snapped back

Elizabeth scowled "I bet that boy wasn't even a prince"

"He says he is, I don't know whether to believe him or not. Mind your own business, Elizabeth. That pauper looking Blondie is my friend" Joey narrowed her eyes

Elizabeth scoffed once more "Where'd you meet him? In the streets while you were hiding from the police?"

"In Italy, after Vongola took me in and appointed me as a Varia member"

"Vongola? That Mafia? You? No surprise there, a murderer like you would perfectly fit in such a dirty group"

Joey was about to lose it

"VONGOLA is not a dirty group. They actually help people. A shitty princess like you wouldn't know because you're pampered ass wouldn't leave the damn spa. Keep in mind, Elizabeth, though I'm a princess, I WOULDN'T THINK TWICE ABOUT YOUR DEATH"

"Really now?" Elizabeth laughed

Joey raised her hand, gripping on to a metal rod

"Are you going to beat me to death?" Elizabeth sneered

Joey smiled and clicked the button that released the blade

Elizabeth took a step back

"This was the very same weapon I used to kill my father and countless men who defied me… I wonder how it feels on female bodies"

Elizabeth fell on her knees and trembled before Joey

"Don't defy me" Joey said, retreating her weapon, and went back out to the party with a satisfied smile

"Fuu, Joey-kun, that wasn't nice" Lussuria greeted her

"Why are you creeping out the ladies room?" Joey asked

"Because I am one! But, Squ-chan said not to go inside" He explained

Joey unconvincingly nodded at him

"Josephine, there you are" Her mother approached them

"Your highness~" Lussuria bowed

"I quite enjoy your… colorful friend's energy, Josephine. They should visit more often"

"We would love to, your highness!" Lussuria cheered

"You were saying mother?" Joey reminded

"I notice you only danced with once man, shall I call for others?" Her mother happily suggested

"No thank you, mother, I didn't even really want to dance" Joey declined

"Oh? Are you feeling sick? It's best to go back to your room" The queen placed a worried hand on her shoulder

"I'll just sit down" She assured her mother, slightly bowing and taking her leave

"Lussuria is it?" Her mother asked him

"Yes, your highness" Lussuria cheered

"That young man my daughter danced with, is she in love with him?"

Lussuria remained silent, looking back at Joey and Bel

They seemed to be eyeing each other with a small smile

"It seems so, your highness"

"Do call me, Katherina" She nodded her head and left to attend to the other guests

Joey's mother looked at her and studied the smirk reverberating off her face

"That smile… is exactly like her father's when he saw me…" She sighed, turning her attention to Belphegor

"My daughter is so lucky to have you" She said as if he could hear

Bel looked back at her and smiled back when Katherina was smiling at him

"_Isabella-chan, why do you look irritated_"

The queen followed the voice and saw Fran and Isabella, hand in hand, dancing

"Because I didn't want to dance" She reasoned

"Then why'd you accept my offer?"

"Because you said my sister told you to do so!"

The queen silently laughed "_I believe the Japanese term for Isabella's actions is… Tsundere, is it?_" She thought

"Oh, Jonathan," Katherina looked at the old family portrait hanging below the balcony "Our daughters are so lucky to find love by themselves…"

…

…

**Katherina is the coolest mom ever. Reviews please. **

**IMPORTANT!**

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	27. Aerbourne's Reborn Party pt 2

**CHAPTER 24**

**Aerbourne's Reborn Party part 2**

**...**

**...**

"Tired, my lady?" Gina approached Joey who stood out at the terrace, overlooking the kingdom of Aerbourne

"You can say that" Joey sighed, rubbing her hands on her arms, keeping her warm

"Shall I fetch a sheath for you, my lady?"

"Serve the guests first, Gina. I won't freeze to death" She joked, nonetheless, she would love to

"As you wish, my lady" the brunette bowed down and left

Joey took the moment of silence to contemplate on her life.

She wasn't completely happy about being in Aerbourne. Being the princess of Aerbourne… again

She already started to love Varia, rather, a certain member of Varia. But don't get her wrong, she still loved the other members. But Bel just stood out the most for her. Joey wasn't so glad about them being here too. She had to say goodbye to them sooner or later. At least she had a dance with him, right?

Another sigh escaped her pink painted lips. She tilted her upwards and gazed at the stars.

"Beautiful night" A voice called out behind her, causing her to glance at the source

It was him again, Lawrence of Mirque

"It was" Joey muttered in a breath

"Has it ever occurred to you why the stars twinkle like that?" He asked

"They don't twinkle. Numerous kinds of gases in our atmosphere are doing that. Didn't you study?" Joey irritably said

"Aha, I was supposed to say that" He chuckled while Joey rolled her eyes

"Of course you were" she added

"That blonde boy, what is his rank?" He probed

"He claims to be a prince. He's my friend"

"A fake prince?"

"You have no right to call him that" Joey's eyes tapered into slits at him

"Is he the highness' boyfriend?" He ignored the warning

"No" Not yet, she hoped

"How lucky of me" He chuckled once more

"Lucky how?"

"I have a chance with such a beautiful princess"

"Ushishishi~ you have no chance with _my_ princess"

Joey's eyes lit up at the sight of the messy blonde top that entered the scene

"She's not yours" Lawrence scoffed, slipping his hands into his pockets

"Ushishishi~ princess, are you mine, or not?"

"Bel" Joey was so bothered with that question. She belonged to no one, even her own mother

Varia's genius walked over to her, ogling Lawrence

"She's mine, got it? Whether or not, she says it herself" Bel removed his white dress jacket and wrapped it around Joey

"I wouldn't be so sure" Lawrence muttered under his breath and walked away

An inaudible growl came from Bel's throat

"Bel…"

The blonde prince set his eyes on _his_ princess, her blue eyes set on the horizon

Her hair slightly moving with the night wind

"You look beautiful" He giggled in her ear

Joey reddened and turned her head to face him

"When will you come back?"

She shrugged, leaning on the cold marble ledge

"Don't give me that answer, princess" He whined, bending his body beside hers

"I'm being honest" She looked down at her hands, twiddling her fingers together

"Do you even plan to go back? You're still our cloud guardian"

"Of course I do!" Joey erected herself up

"Ushishishi~" Bel chuckled

A moments silence passed by them, they could vaguely hear the music from the ballroom, and the crickets from around them

"Princess, do you love me?" Bel broke the silence

"You know the answer to that"

"Then say it"

Joey leaned back on the ledge

"Say it, princess~"

"I love you, Bel" She sighed, so sweetly

"Ushishishi~ I love you, Jo"

They found themselves inching closer to each other, their eyes gradually closing

-BOOM-

A rainbow spark lit above them

Pulling away, they stared at the fireworks display

"It's beautiful" "Long live, Aerbourne" "To the Giovanni's"

The guests spilled out into the balconies with them, enjoying the view of both the horizon and fireworks

"Josephine!" Isabella, her face was brightly pink, made her way through the crowd

"Why so flustered" She ribbed.

"Why'd you make him dance with me?"

"Admit it, sister, you enjoyed every step"

Isabella bit her lips, crossed her arms and turned on her heel

"Ushishishi~ who knew someone would love that frog" Bel snickered into her ear

"Don't forget, I was with him first" Joey smirked, going back inside to avoid the crowd

"Hmph" Bel followed after her

"When will you guys leave?" Joey asked, tucking strands of her hair behind her ear

"Tomorrow morning" He doubtfully answered

"You know…" Joey stopped in her tracks and spun to face him "Aerbourne is a pretty big kingdom to explore…"

"Ushishishi~ shall we, princess?" He held out his hand to her

"We shall" She giggled, taking his hand and gripping to it firmly

She led him up the stairs where she and her family entered, struggling with her heels

By the time they reached the top, Joey went behind the door and pushed it, revealing a hidden passage way

"Ushishishi~ princess likes to explore?" He followed her in, skipping steps down a tight spiral staircase

"I got it from my great grandmother. She had this castle made with so many hidden passages" She said, slowing down

"And the princess memorized them all?"

"I had to find another way to escape tutors" Joey shrugged, seeing a dead end

"Wrong turn?" Bel asked, stepping beside her

"Nope" She pushed against the wall and made it creaked open, letting a cold blast of wind rush in

With a quick help from Bel, they faced a downhill trail leading to a river

"Uh, where do you want to go?" She held on to his jacket around her

"Here's just fine, really" He lazily draped his arm around her shoulders

She led him halfway down and both lied down

"Who's Aerbourne, princess?"

"I never really thought they'd accept me still after killing the kingdom… and as a hero too. They're praising me for killing my father, Bel. I'm pretty much conflicted"

"I'm sorry to hear that princess…" He hugged her tighter

She laid her head on his chest "I wished I was never a princess. My duties clash with every will I want to fulfill"

"Tell me everything about your duties. You, Gina and Isabella have been talking about your duties yet you never tell us what they are!" He complained

"I have many duties. Some of which are like, I must marry a prince or a noble's son… learn to fight for myself… things like that. Of course, I have to follow a special set of rules"

"Like?"

"Like… I can't get married without my mother's blessing. I can't bear a child before marriage. Aerbourne's princess must wed in June only. Those kinds of rules it's really irritating" She sighed

Bel slid down to face her, and kissed her nose

"What was that for?" She whispered

"We'll be leaving tonight"

"Didn't you just arrive?"

Bel tapped his forehead on hers and laughed "Ushishishi~ missing me already?"

"It's unfair" She sighed

"Its life" He said, nonchalantly, his hidden eyes gazing upon her blue ones.

"Kiss me" She laid again on her back and stared at the stars

"?" Bel felt blood rush to his cheeks

"You heard me, kiss me. A kiss on the nose isn't enough-…"

Bel's lips crashed on hers, hovering above her slender physique

They parted for a quick moment to smile at each other

"BEL-SEMPAI" They heard Fran above them

"Stupid froggy" Bel grumbled, plotting a way of totally finishing Fran off

"Josephine!" Isabella's voice followed

"Hm? I wonder why they're looking for us.."

"_I don't think they're here, Isabella-chan_" They heard Fran's voice echo out the hallway

"_Are you forced to call me that?_"

"_Yes. But it has a nice ring to it.. ah_"

"_Hm? What are you staring at?_"

Joey and Bel couldn't help but eavesdrop at their conversation, both sitting up and looking above to the large, marble windowpane.

"_I just realized that you have your sister's eye color for your hair and her hair color for your eyes. That's peculiar_"

"_We have no idea why were like this. Our mother has blue eyes like Joey while I have my father's purple eyes. You know, I owe my sister a lot_"

Joey smiled and leaned on Bel, triggering him to wrap an arm around her

"_By the way, is Bel anything like an older brother to you?_"

"_Hell no. My relationship with that fake prince will always be a comrade"_

"Why that…" Joey held Bel back; he was ready to hurl all his knives at him

"What do you think of his relationship with my sister?"

"I had Jo-sempai first"

"Wh-What?"

"I had Jo-sempai first. I got to her before Bel-sempai did"

Isabella remained silent, she could feel her heart crack

"Honestly, I was happy with her for that short period but I knew she wasn't. She obviously loved Bel-sempai at that point, so, I gave the fake prince his princess"

Isabella smirked "Why do I always get my sister's leftovers… No offense"

"Leftovers?" Fran felt offended but didn't show it

"Everything I have are hand-downs from my sister. My room, my clothes, everything, I didn't expect a guy would also be a hand-down as well…"

Fran watched her release a small sigh "I'm not a hand-down. I'll be yours…"

"WHAT?" Isabella jerked away from him

"Aren't the stars beautiful?" The teal haired boy looked out the sky

"Don't change the subject!"

"Just look at them"

She glanced to where his attention was and watched the stars twinkle

"Do you need help in making illusions?" Fran asked

"Why?"

"Cuz I'll help you"

"How can I be so sure that you can help?"

"Because" He gave her a smug grin

"I'm a top magician"

…

**WTF just happened? Anyways. Reviews please! Exams are on Tuesday -_-**

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEI! () I FREAKING LOVE YOU, MY TWIN SISTER. CONSIDER THIS UPDATE, MY GIFT :")**

**AGAIN. REVIEWS PLEASE!**


	28. Untitled

**Chapter 25.**

**...**

**...**

"Trash, where's Belphegor?" Xanxus scoffed at Squalo

"VOI! Joey! Where is he?" Squalo turned to her, who simply raised a brow at him

"He said he'll go to the bathroom for a quick second"

"And Fran?" Lussuria cooed

"Most probably with Isabella" Joey giggled, remembering what happened a couple hours back

**...**

After Bel "tch'd" at Fran's remark of him being a 'top magician', a long period of silence followed

"Isn't it a little too quiet?" Joey whispered, she led him back into the secret passage.

"Maybe they're fu-…"

She gave him the coldest stare her eyes could give

"Fu-nally getting along…" He stuttered, removing his hand from her shoulder.

"This door might lead us to right where they were…" Joey pushed on the stone wall

Despite the stone on stone collision of the door and floor, it opened silently.

"There! They are…" Joey's jaw dropped and Bel 'ushishi'd'

Isabella snapped around and blushed darker than blood itself

"Hi, sempai~" Fran greeted, slightly waving his hand

His lips were slightly smeared with a pink shade

"Sorry for interrupting…?" Joey bit her lips to hold back a laugh

"UGH!" Isabella stomped away in embarrassment

…

"My Queen" Gina bowed as she reached Katherina's point

"Yes, Georgina?" She excused herself from her guests

"Varia, my Queen, they are about to take their leave. They send their thanks and farewell"

"I'll go to them at once"

"Actually, my queen… one of them, Belphegor, has requested a short chat with you in the court room"

"Then I shall see to it first, thank you, Georgina" Katherina bowed her head and gestured Gina to leave

…

"That was so embarrassing" Isabella buried her face between her knees, hugging her legs close to her chest

She could feel something tickling her arm, she took a peek at it and saw a teal butterfly crawling to her elbow

"What…" Isabella gazed up and didn't see the vast dark night, not one crystal star at sight

It was a vast meadow with purple trees, green flowers, orange streams, and pink skies

"Real? Illusion? Deceiving pleasant feelings" Fran formed out of the blue beside her

"You made this?" She raised a brow of disbelief

"Using power like it's a habit"

"But why?"

Fran _smiled_ and held out his hand to her "Stop whining"

She straightened her back and took his hand

He pulled her up and started running down hill towards the orange streams

"Slow down!" Isabella laughed, noticing that Fran's tux was changing to a white polo with suspenders clipped onto black shorts

"Where's the thrill in that?" She could feel her body lighten, her dress dissipated into a white, over the shoulder, strap dress that reached her knees

"What are you…"

"Let's have fun before we leave"

…

Bel uncomfortably sat in the court room lounge, twiddling his thumbs

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Belphegor" Katherina entered the room, gracefully striding to one of the seats

Bel shot up and stammered "No, I'm sorry for calling you in such a short notice"

"What may be the problem?" She sat down, beckoning him to do the same

After doing so, he answered "It's about your daughter, Joey- I mean, Josephine"

"You love her, and?"

"H-how…?"

Katherina chuckled "I'm her mother, I know everything about her, what she feels, who she likes… I also caught you two sending glances across the room… you two remind me actually of her father and I when he courted me… as you were saying?"

"I want to marry your daughter, not now, but soon" Bel confidently said

"You have my blessing" Katherina bowed her head

"I-I do?"

"Who am I to destroy my child's world? Be good to her, Belphegor"

"I will…" Bel said

…

…

"Joey" Xanxus grumbled, beckoning the princess

"Fratello?" Joey came near him

"You hurry back to Italy, got it?" He asked, in a more commanding tone

"Of… course" She hesitated to reply, leaving Xanxus to glare at her

"I have no control on my fate whatsoever, now that I'm Aerbourne's princess again…"

"And so what if you are Aerbourne's princess again?" Xanxus interrupted

"I…"

"You're still the cloud guardian" Lussuria inserted

"I know that!" Joey retorted, feeling ganged up on

Xanxus raised his hand and Joey shut her eyes, preparing herself for an impact

Instead, she felt something taken from her finger

Opening her eyes, she realized Xanxus had snatched away her Varia ring

"H-hey…" She nervously stammered at him

"Until you come back to Italy, you can have this back" Xanxus turned around and walked away

"I'm so sorry, Joey-kun" Lussuria hugged her goodbye

"We better see you soon, trash" Squalo followed Xanxus out with Levi and Lussuria

"…" Joey gazed on her finger; marked with green due to the lack of air it received from the long period of time she had worn it

"My Lady" Gina formed behind her

"Gina, tell my mother I'll be retiring early for tonight" Joey, though she wasn't sleepy, let out a breath and walked towards her chamber

"As you wish, my lady…" She paused "Will there be anything else you must need?" Gina sensed distress from her

"I'm fine, serve the guests" Joey sullenly commanded, stroked her finger

"…" Gina worriedly watched her master disappear into the halls

…

"Is everyone here?" Lussuria checked the member's attendance

Belphegor climbed up their private jet and was stopped by Xanxus

His boss flicked Joey's ring to him, which he caught on his palm

"Hey, this is Jo's ring" Bel muttered "Wait a minute, did she..."

"Give it to her when she comes back, if she ever does" Xanxus sat down on his seat and laid back

"What does that mean?" the blond prince stood there

"The boss means that Joey is having second thoughts about going back to Italy" Squalo explained, buckled to his seat already

"Hmm, where's Fran?" Lussuria asked, looking for the frog head

"Here, sempai" the teal hair colored junior entered without a care

"Where have you been?" Bel teased

"With Isabella-chan" Fran remained oblivious

"What were you two doing?"

"None of your business, fake-prince" Fran sang

…

"It's a beautiful night, Josephine! Why sleep so early?" Isabella charged into her room, spinning around as if she was dancing with a partner

"Xanxus took my ring away. I can only have it back when I return to Italy and be their cloud guardian again… you and I both know, that's likely never going to happen right?" Joey, still in her dress, sulked in the middle of her bed

"Oh…" Isabella paused, cautiously approaching her sister

"Why am I a princess again? I'd rather be an assassin. With Varia. With Bel…" She murmured

"Hey, I'm right here, okay, Josephine?" Isabella kissed Joey's head

…

…

**I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING. I'M NOT INSPIRED LATELY. AND OF COURSE, THE EVER FAVORITE REASON, SCHOOL! HORAAAAY. ANYWAYS, SHORT CHAPTER. AND SINCE IT'S NEARING CHRISTMAS BREAK HERE, I WILL UPDATE EVERY WEEK! (HOPEFULLY) HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND REVIEWS PLEASE!**

**TWITTER: WOAHPiso**

**TUMBLR: skylarkwings dot tumblr dot com / warriorhearts dot tumblr dot com**

**LOL. SHAMELESS PROMOTION. I FOLLOW BACK!**

**REVIEWS (again)**


	29. Where's Bel?

**CHAPTER 26**

**...**

**Short chapter ahead**

…

**Joey's POV**

**... **

I ran downstairs to the first floor of the Varia mansion, playing with Bel

The blond prince skipped down the steps to chase after me

"Gotcha!" He grabbed me by my waist and spun me around

"Aha, let go!" I laughed, leaning back on his chest

"Hey, Hey. No love outside the room" Fran interrupted, blank faced by the door of the kitchen door

"Even just this once? I'll let you do absolutely anything to Isabella" I bribed the frog hated boy who simply shook his head

"We have a mission, you know. We're going to Japan to kill these guys who tried to assassinate Sawada" Fran informed us

"Us 3?" Bel let go of me, but his hand still grasped on mine

"Us 4" My dearest sister skipped out of the kitchen, admiring her new Varia uniform

She may be just a subordinate, but she's respected like a commander

It's been 4 weeks since we left Aerbourne to continue my duties under Varia

Mother was fine with it, but the kingdom was in total mourning

"Our flight is today"

-timeskip to Japan-

"Isabella, are you sure you got the location right?" I looked around the abandoned warehouse

"For the nth time, yes, I did!" My sister whined

"Hm" I took another step forward

"Josephine, aren't you glad we went back to Italy?" She asked, trailing behind me

"Well, of course" I answered, nonchalantly

"This life is actually better than being a princess in Aerbourne" Isabella laughed, which I couldn't help but agree on

"Hey, where's Bel and Fran" I realized the lack of hatred of the prince and frog

"JOSEPHINE, LOOK OUT!" Isabella's high pitched voice was the last thing I heard before a sharp sting pierced my chest

I could feel my warm blood trickling down my torso as my knees hit the cold floor, followed by the rest of my body

I was gasping for air, my nails dug around the wound that bloody bullet had made

Is this what pain feels?

My vision was blurry; the only thing I can see is Isabella letting out all her flames

My life was flashing before my eyes, from the day I killed my father, to the day I had met Bel

Where is he?

A blinding light appeared to me, with a familiar silhouette

My father was smiling at me, reaching his hand out

The pain was gone, but the bleeding continued

Where's Bel?

"He's not here, dear. But I am, come, let's go to the Kingdom" My father whispered

I'm dying right now, but where's Bel?

A few moments later, everything slowly dimmed

My father faded, Isabella faded, and the warehouse faded…

Where's Bel?

…

…

**REVIEWS PLEASE!**


	30. Isabella's POV

**CHAPTER 26.5**

…

**Short chapter ahead**

…

**ISABELLA'S POV**

…

My sister and I wandered into the warehouse to complete our mission

"Are you sure you got the location right?" Josephine asked, looking around

My frowned at her and replied "For the nth time, yes I did!"

She continued walking before me

It's been 4 weeks since we've returned back to Varia so Josephine can continue her Varia duties

Mother was fine with it, but the kingdom was a different story

"Aren't you glad, Josephine, that we moved back here to Italy?" I asked

"Of course!" She casually replied, clearly smiling though I couldn't see her face

"This life is better than being a princess in Aerbourne!" I laughed, which she joined in

After a good laugh, the silence overshadowed once more

"Hey, where's Bel and Fran?" Josephine asked, stopping in her tracks

Right in front of us, above a large metal crate, I saw a thin, glinting cylinder point at Josephine

"JOSEPHINE, LOOK OUT!" I screamed, seeing a silhouette take place

It was too late, the trigger has been pulled

Her blood splattered on me just before she hit the ground, creating a crimson pool around her body

I was distraught, staring at the lifeless body of my sister

With everything sinking in to me now, my ring burst out in indigo flames and my whole stature was inhabited by the mist flames

My heart feels hollow, torn, and broken. A part of me was missing now

I took out my scythe, my eyes still on Josephine

No amount of souls can replace my sister

I lunged at her killer, mercilessly slaughtering him

His comrades appeared around me, all ready to take me down

Their faces aggravated me, I _**had**_to kill them

At this point, I already felt tears roll down my face

All for Josephine, my mind echoed

I attacked once more, 3 at time, it was a blood bath

Amongst this mayhem, a question rang in my mind

Where's Fran?

Moreover, where's Bel?

Isn't he the one who's supposed to protect my sister?

A blade cut my cheek, making me writhe in pain as salty tears passed the open wound

I know I've reached my limit; I've killed half of them already

But who else is supposed to seek revenge for my sister?

Bel wasn't here, so was Fran…

I had to do this all by myself

Though it hurt, I glanced at my sister's corpse

Where's Bel?

…

…

**REVIEWS PLEASE!**


	31. Her afterlife

**CHAPTER 27**

**Short chapter ahead**

…

**JOEY'S POV**

…

My eyes gradually opened, greeting the cream-colored ceiling above

I couldn't feel the pain in the chest anymore, did I survive?

I sat up, looking around, I found myself in a bright meadow filled with purple roses, burning cloud flames wearing a white tube dress

I could feel strands of my hair tickle my legs… wait, why is my hair long?

Looking down, my tresses were back to its original length when I was still a princess

I took a rose out of the ground, with a good amount of strength

The flames weren't fire hot, but they were icy cold, lingering about on the skin of my fingertips

"WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I LOST MY SISTER?" A bloodcurdling scream shook me, raising the hair on my nape

I turned around and the meadow of roses was gone, and was replaced by the lounge area of the Varia mansion

Isabella was covered in blood, tears overflowing from her eyes. She looked worn out, as if she had not slept for ages. Her eyes gradually turning red as if she had been crying forever

The figure in front of her remained silent

"WHERE WERE YOU, BEL? WHERE WERE YOU WHEN JOSEPHINE DIED?" Isabella continued, balling her hand into fists

I saw him bit his lower lip, looking down to ground

"I THOUGHT YOU LOVE MY SISTER! BUT WHY WERE YOU NOT THERE TO SAVE HER?" Isabella stepped forward, causing Fran to hold her back

"I HAVE ONLY BEEN WITH MY SISTER FOR A SHORT PERIOD COMPARED TO YOU, AND SHE'S MY SISTER. YOU'RE JUST A LOVER, A MERE BOY!"

"Isabella…" I hesitated to come forward

"YOU DON'T DESERVE MY SISTER!"

In a micro second, I saw him raise his hand

"Bel, don't!" I ran to block Isabella

"Ah" Isabella spat after Bel slapped her

I blinked, I was right in front of Bel, and Isabella was behind me

Did his hand phase through me?

"Isabella-chan!" Lussuria ran from behind Bel and _right through me_

I looked behind me and saw Isabella on the ground, her palm on her cheek

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT I DESERVE. I LOVE YOUR SISTER" Bel screamed from behind me

"Bel…" I gaped at him

"IF YOU LOVE HER, YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE TO SAVE HER! I HAD TO KILL ALL OF THEM BY MYSELF. BUT GUESS WHAT, NO AMOUNT OF SOULS CAN REPLACE MY SISTER. THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE JUSTICE IF YOU KILLED THEM"

"Stop it! Stop screaming at each other! Shut up!" I yelled, covering my ears and closing my eyes tightly as possible

"_**Just please, stop…**_"

…

…

**REVIEWS PLEASE!**


	32. OMAKE 3

**OMAKE.**

"Ne, Luss-nee... are you sure this will be good enough for him?" Joey topped the cake with a strawberry

"Hm, I don't really know Belphegor's favorite things. But if you made it, I'm sure he'll love it!" Lussuria encouraged, rubbing her back

"It's my first time doing so much for their birthday" Joey sighed, admiring her hard work.

The chocolate cake with vanilla frosting, topped with strawberries looked like it came out from a recipe book

"Is it true this is the first time you've actually cooked?" Lussuria asked, cleaning her mess

"Yes. I'm a princess remember? I don't have to raise a finger in the castle"

"Belphegor is so lucky to have a girlfriend like you"

Joey enjoyed hearing those words, she belongs to him and he belongs to her

"Josephine, he's awake!" Isabella ran inside the kitchen, smashing the door close behind her

"You can do this, Joey! Just present the cake and say it!" Lussuria took the cake and handed it to Joey, being ever so careful

Joey nodded, slowly taking her steps as she carried the cake outside

As she got to the door, the door flew open and the cake fell on her

"AH!" She stepped backwards, looking at the chocolate mess

"Jo? I'm so sorry!" The sleepy birthday boy raised his hands to help her

"Ne, I'll go clean myself first" Joey rejected his help and left the room

"…"

"Belphegor, Josephine worked hard on your cake" Isabella informed

"My cake?" Bel looked down and saw the rest of the cake bits that wasn't stuck on Joey

"We won't greet you, Bel, until Joey says hers" Lussuria approached him, taking his shoulders and spinning him around

"Go after her, while I make a new cake" He pushed him out

…

Joey had removed her uniform jacket stained with chocolate and tossed it to the floor

Wearing her midriff, she spun around when her door opened

"Do you know how to knock?" She said, covering her chest, at Bel

"You're my girlfriend. I've seen past _everything_" He emphasized

"Tch" She spat, blushing at his sentence

"Thank you for the cake" He walked over to her and licked the icing smudge on her cheek

"How is it?" She nervously asked

"It's delicious~ and you know, you don't have to go through this mess to impress me on my birthday. Having you is enough" He kissed her nose

She smiled, tiptoeing to kiss him, which he gladly accepted by taking her by the waist and carrying her up

Pulling away, she sighed him her greeting

"_**Happy Birthday Bel"**_

…

…

**Happy birthday Belphegor!**


	33. OMAKE 4

**OMAKE.**

**CHRISTMAS.**

**...**

**...**

It was Christmas Eve and Isabella somehow talked Xanxus into agreeing with a secret Santa among the core group of Varia

They've already drew lots on who their "baby" is and all went their separate ways to secretly find the "perfect" gifts

**...**

"Is it time for us to exchange gifts already?" Lussuria asked Isabella

"Okay then! I'll start it off!" She volunteered, standing up from her seat holding an elongated cylinder

"I didn't know what to get my "baby" but I hope you'll enjoy this!" Isabella announced before skipping towards Levi

"Eh? Thank you" Levi bowed down

"Hm? Levi doesn't act like that to anyone besides Xanxus" Lussuria whispered to Squalo

"Joey is Xanxus adopted sister, with that being said, Isabella is practically his sibling too" He explained

"I assume the one I got will like my gift" Levi tossed the gift to Fran

"Ew. Levi-sempai is my secret santa? I bet it's something perverted and gross" Fran put the gift aside and took another wrapped gift and stood up

"I got the boss something I'm sure he likes" Fran handed the foot by foot box to Xanxus

"Tch. I better like this" He grumbled, taking out his own gift

"Lussuria" He simply stretched his arm out to Lussuria

"I'm so honored to receive a gift from you, boss! Okay then, I thought long and hard on what to give you, Joey!" Lussuria handed his gift to her

"Thank you, Luss-nee! Ne, I hope you'll like my gift, Squalo!" Joey gave him her gift

"VOIIIII. THIS BETTER BE GOOD. Tch. Bel, you better enjoy this gift" Squalo threw his gift to Bel

Bel caught it and laughed "Ushishishi~ I guess the prince is last then, Isabella, here you go"

"Thank you, Bel! Okay, we open our gift all together then!" Isabella nodded, signaling everyone to open their gifts

Isabella opened hers, daintily removing the red bow from the white box

Lifting the cover, her jaw dropped when she saw a headband with a small version of Fran's frog hat stuck to it.

"I was gonna get you the girl version of Fran's but Jo got mad" Bel snickered

"Thank you, Bel!" She thanked, wearing the headband immediately

"WHAT IS THIS?" Levi exclaimed at Isabella

"Like I said, I didn't know what to get you" She laughed at him

Levi took out a pink umbrella with a light green lightning pattern on it

"I think it looks adorable" Lussuria cooed

"It suits you, Levi-sempai" Fran coughed, while opening his

"Oi, Levi-sempai, what's this suppose to be?" He raised a book up

"It's the fairytale about the Frog prince" He snickered

"Thank you, Levi-sempai. This is better than something perverted" Fran stated

"You're not offended?" Levi seemed disappointed

"No" Fran glanced at Isabella who smiled at him

"Special gun cleaning agent and a shark stress ball?" Xanxus grumbled

"It's a shark so when you feel mad and want to take it out on Squalo, you destroy that. But that's made out of an indestructible material" Fran clapped

"Aww, Boss! Thank you for my gift!" Lussuria held out a pink frilly apron with his name stitched onto it

"Joey helped me" He spat

"I knew you'd like it!" Joey said

"Open your gift, Joey!" Lussuria squealed

"Okay, okay" She got his gift and tore it open, revealing a floral print box

Removing the top, her eyes fell onto a properly folded red dress

"I wanted you to wear it for New Year" He cooed, letting his mind imagine her wearing it alongside Bel

"I love it, Luss-nee! I promise to wear it on New Year's Eve!" She pledged

"You're very welcome, Joey! Sququ-chan, what did Joey get you?"

Squalo opened his gift

"I honestly didn't know what to get you, so I got you…"

"A stuffed toy shark?" Squalo brought the plushie out, showing the gray blue animal

"Push the eyes, and it'll say something familiar" Isabella laughed

Squalo did so and a loud "VOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII" came out

Everyone laughed, even Xanxus and Squalo

"I appreciate it, Joey" Squalo remarked

"Ushishishi~ Squalo, how thoughtful, buying me new knives… oh, with my name on it" Bel tested a knife out on Fran's hat

"Ow, sempai" He said, remaining oblivious to the knife embedded on his hat

"Well, we can eat now, right?" Lussuria asked, anxious for everyone to eat his cooking

"Of course! To the dining room!" Isabella and Lussuria skipped out the room, being followed by everyone else who had sweat dropped at the duo

Bel remained in the room with Joey

"Merry Christmas" He kissed her forehead, while handing out an envelope

"Hm? What is it?" Joey opened the envelope and saw Aerbourne's Royal crest imprinted on paper

"A letter from your mom" He whispered

She stared at him before reading the letter silently

_Josephine,_

_ Merry Christmas, my princess. I'd hope to surprise you and Isabella by visiting but it seems the kingdom needs me more. If I have any time off, I'll make sure to visit the two of you. I sent my gifts a tad later than this letter since this was a request Belphegor had asked. Hold on to him tight, Josephine. He's your life and you are his._

_Love,_

_Queen Katherina_

"Thank you so much, but I couldn't possibly give you something as special as this" Joey wrapped her arms around him

"Actually, having you for Christmas is the best thing I can ever ask" Bel kissed her

"Merry Christmas then" She whispered before kissing back

…

**Merry Christmas!**

**Sorry if it's late!**

**Reviews?**

**One more omake before the awaited chapter : **

**HOLD ON, MY READERS. I WILL UPDATE SOON.**


	34. OMAKE 5

**OMAKE 5.**

**NEW YEAR.**

…

…

It's December 31, 2011

Varia was invited to watch a fireworks display in Aerbourne by the Queen herself

The kingdom was preparing for the big occasion, streamers were handing from house to house

Craftsmen prepared the fireworks by Lake Saphir, Aerbourne's largest lake known for its sapphire like water

"Everyone's so excited to prepare for New Year!" Lussuria said, walking around Aerbourne with Varia

"It's the first New Year ever since the kingdom has once again been ruled by a Giovanni" Isabella explained

"Wait, who ruled the kingdom during the Giovanni's absence?" Levi asked

"Regents" Joey waved to a couple of kids

"Princess!" A small kid ran up to her with a 2 flowers in hand

"Thank you!" Isabella and Joey said in unison, taking the flower from her

"Francesca, bow before you speak to princesses" An older boy ran after the 5 year old and carried her up

"Jonathan!" The sisters exclaimed, pulling him into a hug

"I'm honored to be hugged by the princesses" He laughed

"We're still your friends, Jonathan!" Joey crossed her arms

"It's different now, you're proclaimed princesses and you look more like a girl now" He sheepishly admitted

"What's that suppose to mean?" Joey pouted

"Jonathan always had a crush on Josephine" Isabella loudly whispered to their companions

Bel scowled at him while Joey remained unaware of the situation

"What are you talking about Isabella? That's not true!" The young lad denied

"Admit it! You like Josephine" She teased, poking Jonathan's shoulder

"Ne, Isabella, stop. I like Jonathan too" Joey smiled

"…" Jonathan blushed at her

Bel was ready to bring out his knives

"Why do you think we're friends?"

As those words slipped out Josephine the Tsundere's lips, a metaphorical arrow stabbed through Jonathan's chest

"Ushishishi~ what do you expect from this princess?" Bel laughed

"Hmph" Joey glowered, not understanding the situation

"Hey, Aerbourne might look small but it's quite vast. There are more sights to see" Isabella mentioned

"See you around then, Jonathan" Joey waved to him, while the others continued moving forward

"Hey Jo…" Bel turned to his side and didn't see her there

Looking back, he saw her talking to Jonathan

He couldn't help but feel jealous and this worsened when Jonathan handed her something and she ended up hugging him

Bel immediately turned around immediately when he saw Joey run to him

"Hey, I guess Isabella's taking us to Lake Saphir" She casually said

"Hm" He mumbled

"Is there something wrong?" Joey sensed some avoidance in him

"Nothing's wrong" He grumbled, glancing at her

He noticed a ring on her finger, beside the Varia ring

"Hm? Oh! Jonathan gave it to me, isn't it beautiful?" She showed him an intricately designed silver ring, with a single sapphire jewel

Bel remained silent until they got to their destination

They arrived at Lake Saphir, and Varia was amazed at how blue the water was

"Saphir is French for Sapphire. Legends say that the gods stored their jewels here, specifically blue gems" Isabella said, breathing in the fresh air

"But of course, many tried to steal from here. Only one succeeded, and it turned out to be the god's most trusted ally. Furious, the gods melted the jewels and their ally failed at his heist" Joey continued for Isabella, admiring her ring

Out of the blue, Bel snatched her ring away

"Bel!" She exclaimed, trying to get the jewelry back

"Would you stop admiring this piece of junk?" He screamed

"That's not junk, Jonathan made that himself!" Joey retorted, stepping back

"The guy's obviously flirting with you!" Bel shot back

Varia remained quiet, watching the couple snap at each other

"He's my childhood friend, we grew up together! He wouldn't do that! Jonathan's nice like that!" She couldn't believe he was acting like this

"Well next time, make it clear that you have a boyfriend" Bel tossed the ring back at her

She frowned at him after catching the ring and let out a heavy breath "Correction," Joey sternly added

"I _**HAD**_ a boyfriend"

Bel was dumbstruck, and so were the rest of their teammates

The two regretfully stared at each other before both turned around and walked away

"Eh, Luss-nee, it's New Year's Eve, they can't possibly break up" Isabella worriedly mumbled

"I'm sure they'll make up before the clock strikes 12" Lussuria hoped

…

"_I __**HAD**__ a boyfriend"_

"Tch" Bel spat, hands shoved in his pocket while he wondered about the village

"Hmph, why does she have to be so oblivious? Just because he's a friend, doesn't mean you're supposed to be so casual about it" He murmured, throwing his arms behind his head

"_Hey, isn't that blond guy cute?_" He overheard some people whisper

"Tch. None of you are my type" He called at them

"_Eh! Rejected already? We haven't even made a move yet_" They complained, watching him walk away

"Is there anything else better to do in this place?"

"Belphegor-sama?" Gina walked up to the blonde male

"Hey" Bel greeted

"Where are Lady Josephine and Lady Isabella?"

"Uhm, Lake Saphir… hey, who's Jonathan?" Bel slipped the question out

"Jonathan is Lady Josephine's friend. They met when I sneak her out of the castle. Have you met him?"

"Tch. We broke up because of him" He crossed his arms and looked away

"W-what?" Gina stuttered, blinking at him

"Go ask your master" Bel walked around her and continued on

…

"_I __**HAD**_a_boyfriend"_

Joey wondered off to the other side of town, arms crossed and waist deep in thoughts

She was starting to regret saying those words

"Isn't this bracelet just a token of friendship? And it's not like he was really flirting with me…" Joey quietly said, not minding the path she was walking

"Maybe I should have introduced Bel first" She sighed, tucking her hair behind her ear

"Hm, Josephine?"

Looking up, Jonathan greeted her

"Oh, hey, Jonathan…"

"Why are you alone? Where are your friends?" He looked around

"I kind of went solo first" She explained, shrugging her shoulders

"Hey, uhm, where's the ring?"

Joey brought the ring out from her skirts pocket and showed him

"Why aren't you wearing it?" He seemed displeased

"Are you courting me?" She asked with a straight face

"Uhm… Well, yeah" He sheepishly replied

"B-Bel was right all along…" Joey felt guilty now, her eyes were getting wet

"Is there a problem with that?" Jonathan saw her reaction

"Well… I have a boyfriend already…" _though we broke up_ "Remember the blond one among my friends? His name is Belphegor"

"So, I guess I don't have a chance" Jonathan awkwardly laughed

"I'm sorry but… I really love him"

"Then I guess I have no choice but to support you" He smiled

"I have to go look for him now, see you around?" Joey backed away

"See you around" He waved his hand and watched her disappear in the crowd

His smile slowly faded

He was rejected already

Turning around, he bumped into a familiar blond

"Oh... you must be Belphegor, right?" Jonathan exclaimed

"Hm" Bel scowled

"I wish you and Josephine will stay strong" He cheered

"What are you talking about?"

"We broke up because of your stupid ring, peasant"

"B-But she didn't mention that just now…" He blinked

"What?" Bel crossed his arms

"Josephine was just here and she rejected me because she said she loves you"

Bel stared at him, speechless and stunned

"I'm sorry if I caused any trouble" Jonathan bowed down

"Where did she head off to?" Bel asked, hurriedly

"She headed towards the castle, saying she'll be looking for you" He replied immediately

"Thanks" Bel looked up at the night sky

"It's 8 already, by foot; you'll reach the castle in 3 hours" Jonathan informed him

"That's no problem for me. I'll reach the castle by 11 then" Bel snickered then walked away

…

Joey excused herself from the fireworks show and decided to stay in her own balcony

Wearing the red dress Lussuria had given her for Christmas, she admired the little red tube dress with a lace polka dot corset sewn to it

"_2 minutes until we welcome the New Year, Aerbourne_" She could hear the sound system from her room

"I can't start a new year without-…"

"Me?" Bel jumped behind her, with slightly wet hair

"Bel!" She hugged him, moments later; she released him and backed away

"I totally forgot…" She mumbled to herself

"Ushishishi~" He stepped closer, cupping her cheeks with both his hands and pressed his lips against hers

"_10…9…7…6…5…4…3…2…1… Happy New Year!_"

They remained in their positions for another minute until they parted with smiles on their faces

"It's nice to end the year with a kiss" Bel chuckled

"And start with it too" Joey blushed

"You look amazing" Bel kissed her forehead

"I'm sorry for reacting that way" She frowned

"And I'm sorry for being so jealous" He lifted her chin up

"You were just being a possessive boyfriend"

"I still am… right?"

Joey giggled at him

"_**Of course you are"**_

…

…

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

**Reviews?**


	35. 7 days to go

**CHAPTER 28**

…

…

Joey shot up from her bed, hand to her chest where she believed the bullet had hit

Pain filled tears flowed down her rosy cheeks

"My lady… is everything all right?" Gina asked with concern, entering the room to deliver her breakfast

"Gina… I've decided not to go back to Italy" Joey looked down on her lap

"Wh-What made you come to such conclusion, my lady?" Her lady-in-waiting laid the tray on her night stand

"I dreamt of my death… and I saw father…" Joey whispered

"It's just a dream, my lady"

"And what if it was a vision? A premonition? I saw my death, and Bel wasn't there!" She inhaled deeply

"I'd rather live without Bel, rather than to die without Bel! I won't go back to Ital-"

Gina grabbed Joey's shoulders and held her tight

"With all due respect, my lady. It was just a dream! A dream doesn't come true unless you want it to! Belphegor-sama loves you and with him around, you will never die" Gina said

"But what if the dream is true? What if it happens and I die? I'd lose you, Isabella, mother, EVERYONE, and Bel!" Joey retorted

"Then cherish every minute with us… with Belphegor-sama. That's why it's crucial for you to return to Italy and live the life your heart wants" Gina whispered with wet eyes

"Gina…" Joey cried, burying her head on her shoulders

"I agree with Georgina, Josephine" Her mother entered the room after a single knock

Gina pulled away to bow down

"But mother, my duties…" Joey wiped her tears away

"…can wait. Duties come with life, but they are not your life. I wish you all the best in Italy, Josephine" Katherina simply smiled at her and left the room

"…" Joey threw her sheets off her body and ran after her mother

"Mom!" She cried, running to her mother

As Katherina turned around, Joey's arm wrapped around her torso

"Thank you" She heard her daughter mumble

"You're very welcome, Josephine" Katherina petted her head

"Mother, Josephine, what happened?" Isabella rubbed her eye, clearly showing she had just woke up

"Isabella, dear, would you watch over Josephine for me when both of you return to Italy?" Katherina held out an arm to invite Isabella to join the hug

"I can go with her?" The youngest asked, gradually walking up to them

"Of course" Their mother cheerfully replied, both hugging them

"And what would my Varia life be without you?" Joey giggled, taking her sister's hand

"I'll leave you two for now, I have my own duties to perform" Katherina kissed their heads and bid them farewell

…

"Letting go of our daughters is a tad too hard, dear" Katherina spoke to the painting of her husband

"I'm so sorry for disappearing after Isabella's birth" She sighed, sitting on her bed

**Katherina's narrative**

_I can't remember how many years have passed since I've left_

_But all I remember is that I left the kingdom to go after the first man I loved_

_Josephine is in the very same position_

_But I won't be my parents, and restrain her or arrange her destiny_

_I'll let her choose her fate_

_Do you remember, dear?_

_How we first met?_

_I was a reckless girl, thrashing around when the butlers would restrain me_

_But when you came along, you've somehow calmed me down_

_I remembered that smile you first gave to me, full of sincerity_

_I loved you so_

_I wished you never turned to the dark side and caused me to return home to Italia_

_Husband in heaven, guard our princesses_

…

"We've got a week until our flight; let's not tell them yet, okay?" Joey brushed Isabella's hair after she took a bath

Joey admired the bright blue locks as she glided the brush down

"Josephine, do you plan to grow your hair?" Isabella sat up straight, her ankles properly crossed beneath the rose, long-sleeved dress

"Why should I? It'll be a hindrance to missions and fights" Joey continued onto tying Isabella's hair

"Should I cut mine?" Isabella took hold to a couple of strands

"Up to you, try checking it out with your illusions" Joey put the brush down on the dresser and waited for Isabella

The rookie illusionist breathed in and remembered what Fran told her

"_If you want to make the perfect illusion, as my master said, you need to focus really hard and imagine what you want to see, soon enough, you'll be able to conjure it up!"_

"This better work, Fran" She quietly murmured, and her mind focused on different short hairstyles

"Uhm, isn't that Fran's hairstyle" Joey bit her lower lip to hold back her laugh

Isabella opened her eyes and her blue hair was similar to Fran's but wavy and slightly side swept

"I like it" She sheepishly admitted

"If that's so, should I ask Rebecca to call the royal stylist?" Joey looked over to Isabella's personal lady-in-waiting, who stood by the door

"Please do" Isabella nodded at Rebecca

The lady-in-waiting bowed down and left the room

"We should go around town before leaving in a week, enjoy ourselves, and mingle with people" The young girl in pink removed the illusion

"After your haircut?" Her sister lazily asked

"Now! The haircut can wait!" Isabella jumped up ran to find a different dress

"Very well, where should we go off to?" Joey ecstatically spun around

"_**7 days to go**__"_

…

…

**Reviews? :)**


	36. 6 days to go

**CHAPTER 29**

…

…

_**6 DAYS TO GO**_

…

…

Joey woke up early as usual to do some exercise, but she was slightly tired from what she and Isabella had done yesterday

They caused some minor trouble in the town center, playing in the fountain and accidentally broke a pipe in the fountain; letting it turn into an instant geyser, destroying some stores near the fountain

Their mother, Queen Katherina, was dismayed but not angry with her daughters

She knew the reason for their mischief; and she hope she can handle their misbehavior for a week

Where will they go today?

What will they do?

The questions ran through Joey's mind will she took her last couple breathing exercises

"Lady Josephine?" Gina knocked on her door

"Come in!" She called back at her, stretching her arms up

"Breakfast is served in the dining room"

"I'll be down soon" Joey removed her clothes and changed into dress, just trimmed above her knees

She paced out her room and down to the dining room, casually greeting the servants as she passed by

"Ushishishi~"

"Bel?" She spun around, hoping to find her blond prince

"It's adorable how you miss him" Isabella giggled, walking up to her

"You got my hopes up for a second there" She sighed, continuing down the hall

"Aw, I miss Fran just as much as you miss Belphegor" Her sister hugged her arm

"We have 6 days. How can we blow that off?" Joey waited for the servants to open the dining room doors, she would do it herself but Isabella chained herself to her arm

"Buongiorno" their mother greeted, seated at the edge of the 5 meter, cherry wood table

"Buongiorno, mother" They greeted her in unison, separating to opposite sides of the table

"What mischief will you two cause today?" Katherina raised her cup of tea to her lips

"We still don't know, but we'll make sure to keep the town intact" Joey stirred her cereal, cornflakes with slices of strawberries and bananas, and fresh milk

"That would be highly appreciated" Their mother stated after a sip of French vanilla tea

"It's a beautiful day, but we're clueless in what to do" Isabella sighed, shoving a spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth

"Camping!" Joey exclaimed

"In _Cuore_ forest!" Isabella replied

"Absolutely not" Katherina interrupted, taking another sip from her tea

"Why not?" the youngest puckered her lips, and burrowed her eyebrows together

"Mother, we're completely capable taking care of ourselves. We'll make sure to be back by tomorrow afternoon!" whined Joey, shrugging her shoulders slowly

"Bring Gina along" The queen reasoned, looking over to the brunette servant, who instinctively nodded

"That's even better!" Joey and Isabella chimed in unison, hugging their mother

"Calm yourselves, sweethearts, even though I trust your safety with Gina, I'm still not sure about letting you push through with this idea"

The siblings sat straight and curiously stared at their mother

"It's bad to ogle, especially when we're on the table" Katherina replied, taking another long sip from the white porcelain cup

"The only thing allowed to do on the table is eating and living, anything else is bad!" Isabella remarked

Joey shook her head "On to more serious matter, what is with Cuore forest?"

Katherina laid her tea down and wiped her lips dry with a pastel blue linen

"There must be a reason why you don't want us to go there" Isabella pouted once more, bringing her glass of juice to her lips

"Excuse me, my daughters, I have something to attend to with the aristocrats" Katherina stood up from her seat

"Mother!" Her offspring's moaned at her, watching her leave the table

"If you want to go to Cuore forest so badly, then go and find out for yourselves why I do not want you to go there. Have a spirited adventure my loves, and take care of one another" She chimed before striding out the room

"…"

"Lady Josephine, may I proceed and pack your belongings for the camping trip?" Gina spoke up from behind Joey's chair

"No, we'll do it ourselves" The two chimed together

…

"Ne, I'm really curious about what's in Cuore Forest… Mother clearly didn't want us to be there" Isabella slipped on a pair of tight camouflage shorts over pastel green leggings

"I hope she's not that mad at us for persisting too much" Joey let out a deep sigh, tightening her black shin-high buckled boots

After Isabella slithered into a black, fitted tank top, Joey couldn't help but comment at her outfit

"It's like you belong to a fashion military camp" She pointed out, whilst Isabella was tying her hair into a side swept ponytail

Joey was wearing something simple: a purple shirt with its sleeves folded neatly up to her shoulders, black cargo pants and black, knee-high tops and her hair was tied to short pigtails

"Okay, okay. I look too high class. Let me be" She grumbled, hoisting her sleeping bag behind her

"I'm bringing my sleeping bag, a jacket, and my weapon" Joey stated, showing her closed weapon (metal rod form of her chain scythes) to Isabella

"Same here! Do you think Gina is done?" She walked out of Joey's room

"She'll be bringing the same and food as well"

"I'm ready, my ladies. Shall we go?" Gina greeted them in front of the courtroom, carrying a basket on her forearm; wearing the royal palace's maid uniform

Modeled after the French maid uniform, the uniform was a long sleeved dress, having a black sheer lace neck and sleeves. The ivory corset sculpted the perfect hourglass shape and its breezy, knee-length balloon skirt made it easy for servants to move. Palace maids are required to wear black stockings and 3 inched ankle boots

"We'll drop by mother first, we'll take a carriage ride going down town" Joey excused Gina and intently looked at Isabella

Her younger sister nodded and prodded off to the courtroom, where her mother sat on the throne

On both sides of the room by the throne, are the aristocrats of Aerbourne, 20 of them at least, they are named as the 20 nobles

"Mother?" Isabella and Joey walked down the aisle, hurriedly

"Are you about to depart? Have a safe camping trip, sweethearts" Their mother bid, her back straight, her arms folded like a lily on her laps, and her smile humble as it can be

"Th-thank you mother, but… you really won't tell us about Cuore forest?" the siblings jumped when one of the aristocrats pounded the table

"Cuore forest? Outrageous! Your majesty, you must not allow them to go in there!" A rather round man protested, standing up from his seat

"With all due respect, your Majesty, I, too, agree with Sir Mario" agreed thin man on the other side of the court

"Now, now, I can't hide this from them forever. They must find out sooner or later" Katherina calmed them down

"But your majesty…" Another man spoke up, anxiously glancing at Joey

Katherina lowered her head and closed her eyes "Josephine, Isabella, the reason why I don't want you to go to is because Cuore forest is where criminals, villains, sinners, and such are buried there"

"And so?" From Joey's peripheral vision, she could see the 20 Nobles' rumor among themselves

"IT'S HAUNTED!" Isabella jumped into Joey's arms, while a teenage boy laughed at her

"That's not funny!" the blue haired female scolded, blushing of embarrassment

"I'm sorry, your highness!" the slick, chocolate haired boy bowed down, holding back his laugh

Isabella scowled at him while Joey let her down

"Nathaniel!" A noble to their right sternly called out "Get back here!"

"All right, all right" He nonchalantly walked back by his father, hands shoved into his trousers pockets

"Actually, Sir Lucas, I would like to ask your son to accompany my daughters in their little camp" Katherina kindly asked the noble

"Why of course, your majesty! Nathaniel, will you accompany our highnesses?" His father placed a hand on his shoulder

"It's a mere suggestion, Nathaniel. You may decline if you wish" The queen added

"I'll go your majesty. It would be an honor to escort your daughters" Nathaniel bowed down

"Very well, you may go, Josephine, Isabella"

"But wait! That's it? Cuore forest is the burial sight of sinners?" Joey persisted

"Josephine, promise me that when you see the reason why I don't want you to go there, stay calm" Katherina remained stoic

"Okay…" She was honestly scared of her mother's current emotion

"We'll be going then, mother" Isabella bowed her head then took Joey's hand, leading her out of the courtroom, with Nathaniel tailing behind them

"_Are you sure about this, your majesty?_" Nathaniel overheard the elders talking

"_In truth, I am not. I am afraid of how they will react, but like I had stated before, I cannot hide this from them forever_"

…

-Carriage ride to the town center-

"So, Nathaniel" Joey broke the silence in the carriage

Joey, Isabella, and Nathaniel were inside the coach while Gina rode beside the coach driver

"Please, your highness, address me as Nathan" He laughed

"And that would be Joey to you" She replied

"And Isabella!" Isabella inserted, hugging her sisters arms

Nathan nodded at them

"So, _Nathan_, were you forced to come on our little trip?" Joey continued her question

"No, your high-er-Joey, I just came on my own whim. If you don't mind, may I ask why you want to camp in Cuore forest?" He asked, letting his green eyes clash with Joey's blue orbs

"We're blowing off a week until our flight back to Italy, so far, we have 6 more days to go" She replied, sighing inaudibly

"What business do you have in Italy?" Nathan inquiringly looked at them

"Promises" She smiled to herself, clutching to her own hands

"And love" Isabella nudged her, giggling

"And love" Joey's cheeks reddened, remembering Bel

"He must be quite a charmer to captivate a princess like you, funny, respectful, diligent, courteous…"

"You just described him, oppositely" Joey flatly stated, letting out a 'pfft' sound

"Then how can you love a man?" Nathan was obviously confused, raising a brow

"I guess that's it" calmly replying with a smile, Joey looked out the window

"He's immature, selfish, arrogant, and just a boy… but he still knows how to love so I gave him my heart… but if he breaks it, I'll definitely rip his own heart out… LITERALLY"

"Aha… how about you, Isabella?" Nathan's eyes moved to the beaming Isabella

"What about me?" She artlessly asked, shrugging her shoulder ever so lightly

"Why go to Italy?"

Isabella paused and smiled "I can't live without my sister… and also, I guess you can say there's a boy involved"

"Oh… is that so?" He seemed displeased

"How about you, Nathan, is there a girl you fancy?"

"There is, she's quite beautiful and very much my type, however… I believe there's no chance for us to be" He sighed

"Why do you think so?" Joey looked out the window and noticed they're a couple more minutes away from the town center

"She loves another. She barely knows me. I barely exist to her…"

Isabella took his hands "There's always hope as long as the bud will survive through winter, it will blossom soon. Please don't give up"

"We're here!" Joey interrupted, causing Nathan to retrieve his hands

Gina opened the door for them and Nathan went out first to help them get out of the carriage

"Aerbourne really likes to keep things traditional" Isabella remarked, hoping off the coach while holding Nathan's hand

"It's the reason why our country is rich. I've read some documents, that the reason why were partly modernized is to prevent corruption and poverty" He said, dusting his pants off

"My ladies, shall we?" Gina bowed down to them

"Wait, Nathan, you didn't bring anything with you!" the blue haired beauty exclaimed

"It's fine, I have survival instincts. I'm not like those stuck-up aristocrat sons who have 10 servants waiting on him every day" He scoffed at the idea of it

"I only have 1 servant, and I even treat her as my best friend" Joey grinned at Gina who smiled back

…

They almost reached the center of the forest already by dusk, running into some gravestones

"Hey, Nathan, were you serious about this forest being haunted?" Isabella started to hug herself, clutching to Joey's back and his arm

"Are you scared?" He seemed amused by her question

"I think we should set up camp here" She worriedly suggested

"I think it's best if we are at the center of the forest" Joey didn't mind her sister's fear and continued on

"Actually, my lady, your mother instructed me not to let you go any further" Gina informed them

"I'm getting sick and tired of this; you can't stop me, Gina. I'll push through and find out why we're not allowed here. It's just a sinner's graveyard" She irritably grumbled

"Do you remember that night when you went on an outburst after your mother rejected you?" the worried tone in Gina's voice made her turn around

"Why…"

"Josephine!" Isabella gasped, widening her eyes at the horizon

She snapped around and found a gravestone, engraved with the name "Jonathan Giovanne" followed by the words "Traitor of Aerbourne"

"What's the meaning of this…" Joey's eyes grew wet with anguish and confusion

"Please calm down, Lady Josephine" Gina grabbed Nathan's arm and pulled him back

"Why is my father in the sinner's grave?"

"Josephine, calm down" Isabella whispered, stepping back

"I'm the one who killed him, I should be here"

"Sir Nathan, I think it's best if you hide for now" Gina advised

Joey walked to the grave and fell on her knees "You don't deserve this…"

She balled her hands on the ground, both of her rings ignited

Purple and indigo flames merged as she opened her eyes and tears rolled down her face

"_Calm yourself, Josephine_"

"NO!" She clawed the loose soil with her fingers, releasing all the anguished flames

"Josephine! Believe it or not, everyone must have wanted him to be here!" Isabella called out

The flames disappeared in a snap, returning back to the mist and cloud rings

Joey slowly rose to her feet, not minding the dirt caught in her clothes and hands

"Do you want him to be here?" her sister's morose tone sent chills down her spine, Nathan's as well, while he stood behind a tree

"Of course not, Josephine…" Isabella coughed, feeling a different mood set in "But… we can't do anything about it!"

"YES WE CAN! WE CAN BEG TO MOVE HIS GRAVE TO SOMEWHERE ELSE! NOT HERE!" Narrowed blue slits turned to Isabella, making her take a step back

"I don't think… we can"

"Yes we can! He doesn't deserve to be here, I DO! I killed him! With my own hands! I slaughtered Aerbourne's king, my own goddamned father! I should be here!" Joey fell back on her knees and punched the ground

"You're Aerbourne's hero" Nathan unintentionally stated

"…" Joey looked up at him "For… killing my father?"

Gina and Isabella snapped their heads at him, mouthing at the same time "Shut up"

"I…" She chuckled "I was proclaimed my countries hero for killing my father!"

"You should have kept your mouth shut" Isabella whispered to Nathan, pushing him back more

"How could I forget this? They made a monument for me! FOR KILLING MY FATHER" Joey stopped laughing and blinked her insane eyes forward

"Josephine… what are you thinking of?" Her younger sister couldn't help but realize how familiar the look in her eyes were

That blood thirsty look… it was exactly the same as the day she turned her back on their father

…

**Sorry if it took so long, like always, SCHOOL was in the way.**

**REVIEWS? Please and thank you! **

**Twitter: RoseanJulie**


	37. 5 days to go

**CHAPTER 30**

…

…

_**5 DAYS TO GO**_

…

…

Fatigue was already setting in

The impact of metal to metal echoed out of the forest, sounding like a bee's buzz in the castle

Beads of sweat formed and rolled down Isabella's forehead

Josephine looked fine, despite the hint of her sanity missing

Gina had tucked Nathan from a safe viewing point, immediately returning to help Isabella

Battered and bruised, the younger Giovanni felt her knees tremble

"Lady Isabella!" Gina joined in, blocking a scythe with a shuriken

"I can't talk to her, or she can't hear me. Either way, I think she wants everyone dead as long as she's in this... state" Isabella caught her breath, managing to make Joey fly back

"Belphegor! Princess, use your illusions and make a realistic Belphegor. I'll distract Lady Josephine" Gina brought out a long small chain

"I'll try!" She panicked, closing her eyes and holding her scythe tightly

_Belphegor..._

_Tall, messy blond hair, a tiara sagging to the side of his head, black and purple striped shirt, Varia uniform pants, black boots…_

"Lady Isabella, she stopped…" Gina whispered, returning beside her

Isabella, still focused on the image of Bel, opened her eyes

There it was, her illusion of Belphegor, standing a couple feet away from Joey

"Hey there, Jo~"

"Belphegor" Something in her eyes flickered

"Yes, princess?" the illusion flashed a toothy grin at her

Joey collapsed, her own fatigue catching up

The illusion disappeared while Isabella and Gina rushed to her aid

"Josephine!" Her sister tried to wake her up

"We must hurry back to the castle" Gina carried her on her back

"I'll get Nathan"

…

"What did I tell you?" Katherina warned Isabella

They were all waiting for Joey to wake up

"…" Isabella frowned, twiddling her thumb against her dress

Dressed down to a simple white dress, Joey lied on her bed

Her expression looked worn out while her chest breathed in a slow pattern

"Mother… can't we do something about father's grave?" Isabella broke the eerie silence

"I cannot do anything about it. The country might go into revolt if we do. Josephine just has to understand"

"I-I'll never understand" A feeble voice replied

"Josephine!" Isabella jumped beside her, taking her hands

"Good morning, Josephine" Their mother greeted

Joey's blue eyes peeked out of her eyelids

"We have 5 more days until Varia, Josephine" Isabella tried to lighten up her mood

"…" Joey closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.

"Josephine, please think positively. 5 more days to Belphegor" She kissed her sister's hand

"That was a horrible illusion of Bel, by the way"

"I tried" Isabella laughed

"At least you improved" Joey smiled, tightening the grip on her sister's hand

"Thanks"

…

"Nathan!" Joey called out to the tall boy, wandering near the courtroom

"Hey Joey" He replied, looking back

"I'm sorry if I scared you when… things got out of hand"

Nathan smiled at her and laughed "You're pretty powerful, Joey. By the way, should you really be moving around? I heard you just woke up"

"I'm fine, nothing will happen if I just lie down and rest. I need exercise too" She shrugged

"She's also escaping from an earful of sermon from the queen, nay, worse, her mother" Queen Katherina walked up to them

Nathan bowed down "Your Majesty"

"Nathaniel" She acknowledged his presence

"Ciao… mother" Joey grinned

"To your room, Josephine, I have not delivered my impending speech for you"

"Was that Isabella calling for help? I should attend to her"

"I'm right here, Josephine, I was asked to escort you back to your room" Her sister stepped out into view from behind their mother

"Crap" Joey murmured

"Go ahead, I have some minor cases to take care of in the court room, am I right, Nathaniel?" Katherina looked over to the aristocrat's son

"Y-Yes, your majesty" He bowed once more

"Okay, fine" Joey pouted, crossing her arms

"Good girl" Katherina tapped Joey's nose and proceeded on with Nathan towards the court room

"Bright side~ 5 more days~" Isabella poked her sister's arm

"I get it, I get it" Joey shrugged, walking the opposite way, trudging to her bedroom

Isabella brushed off her blue hair off her shoulders, and followed her sister

After a soft sigh "You know, you need to learn on how to control your anger"

Joey stopped in her tracks and turned around "What's that suppose to mean?"

"You get angry too fast"

Joey narrowed her eyes at Isabella

"You see?" Her sister merely pointed out

Easing up, Joey continued to walk

"You should hurry up and get married to Belphegor soon"

"What are you saying?" Joey turned around once more with a flushed expression

"The slightest remembrance of Belphegor calms you down. It would be a great benefit to everyone if he's around you most of the time"

"But," Joey paused, sliding her hand across her other arm

"Duties…" She sighed

"Are incompetent lies that make sure we are well behaved, but we're the Giovanni sisters and we are never well behaved when something as important as love, be second to our so called duties. Mother will understand. Don't let our duties bring you down"

Joey chuckled, "Who the hell are you, Isabella does not talk like that"

Her sister responded with a laugh

"You've been pulling speeches recently, is this what love does to you?" Joey teased

"It may seem so" Isabella twirled her hair

"Fran's lucky"

"Belphegor, as well"

…

"Ehhh, I miss Joey-kun and Isabella-kun already" Lussuria whined at the dinner table

"You say that everyday" Levi grumbled, washing out the peppery taste of their steaks with red wine

"Because it's true!" He continued on "Bel, Fran, don't you feel the same way as I do?"

"Ushishishi~ of course" Bel snickered

"I don't know what you're talking about" Fran muttered, being his usual self

"Stupid frog, do even really like Isabella?" the blond prince spat at the illusionist

Fran, however, remained silent

"Hey, you do like Isabella, right?" Bel put his fork down and stared at his kouhai

"…" Fran looked up at him and stuck his tongue out "Fake prince"

"WHY YOU LITTLE" Bel got his knives and prepared to launch at him

Fran stood up, received a couple of knives to his hat, then advanced on out of the room

"Fran seemed… distraught for a moment there" Lussuria commented "Bel, go apologize!"

"Eh? Why should I?" Bel scowled at him

"You brought up Isabella! I'm sure he misses her!"

"If he did, he should have said so"

…

The blond prince stretched his arms up, removing his Varia jacket off after

Entering his room, he spotted Fran's silhouette form on his balcony

"Get out, stupid frog!" Bel threw a knife at his head

"Ne, I'm the one who already came here to talk. If you don't want then, fine~" Fran irritably stated, maintaining his monotonous tone

"Wait, what?"

"Never mind~"

"COME BACK HERE YOU STUPID FROG" Bel sprang to the balcony

"I said never mind" Fran disappeared into Joey's vacated room

"Hmph" Bel pouted

Fran nonchalantly walked through Joey's room, out to the hallway, and into his room

He idly sat on the edge of his bed, removing his hat

"Ehh, why is it when I hear anything related to Isabella, my chest feels heavy? She must be a burden then…"

The mint green haired boy, removed his uniform and settled into his bed, clearing his thought from what he believes is a "burden"

…

"I can't sleep" Isabella grumbled in her bed, pulling the sheets to her chin

"Fran must be thinking of me then~ … does that mean when I fall asleep, he stopped?" She threw the sheets off her body and sat up

"I can't help but feel a weight on my chest every time I think of him" Her hand trailed up to her chest

"It must be love~" Isabella closed her eyes and lied back down

…

…

**REVIEWS? PLEASE AND THANK YOU!**


	38. 4 days to go

**CHAPTER 31**

…

…

_**4 DAYS TO GO**_

…

…

"FOUR MORE DAYS. FOUR MORE DAYS!" Joey jumped on Isabella's bed, while her sister tried to go back to sleep

"I KNOW. PLEASE, JOSEPHINE, GET OFF" Isabella screamed

Joey sat on her sister's torso and locked her arms to her sides

"HOW CAN I NOT BE EXCITED WHEN BEL SENT ME A PARCEL?" Isabella watched her sister squeal in excitement

"Tell me later. I did not sleep at all. I couldn't. Not a wink" She groaned, turning to her side, causing her sister to topple along with her

Joey paused "Fran must have been thinking of ALL night"

Isabella felt her cheeks heat up "Please, do shut up and leave"

"Aww, my baby sister's boyfriend is thinking about her~ I'll leave you then, to think of him back" Joey kissed Isabella's forehead and left, closing the door behind her

"…" The blue haired beauty sat up and hugged her knees close to her chest

"Why… why do I get the feeling that it's starting to become a one-sided relationship?"

Looking outside, the sky was a blue as her hair. The trees of Cuore forest were as green as his

…

Joey, sprawled on her bed like a teenager, hastily opened the package Bel had sent her

Ripping the brown paper of, her eyes fell on Belphegor's signature shirt

Tucked inside the shirt was a small, eggshell-white envelope

Our princess took the letter out and carefully tore it open

_**Jo,**_

_** We're all still waiting for you here. The boss gave me your ring for the time being. You are returning right? I keep the ring with me at all times, in missions, meals, even in the bathroom. I sent, along with this letter, one of my favorite shirts. I hope it fits you. Wear it when you come back, got it? I'll go ahead and say in behalf of the stupid frog how he misses Isabella. The kouhai hasn't been talking so much, less than usual actually. He looks depressed beneath the poker faces he usually puts on. It's not fun trying to kill him anymore. That just means you have to bring Isabella with you when you return.**_

_**I love you,**_

_**Prince the Ripper  
>Belphegor<strong>_

Joey dragged her hand through her hair, fighting the urge not to smile too big

She put the letter down and removed her shirt, replacing it with Bel's shirt

"It's a bit loose, but it feels better this way" She cuddled her body

"My lady…" Gina knocked on the open door

"In!" Joey cheered

"My lady, you seem…" Gina saw the purple and black striped shirt "Ah, I see"

"It's more of a sweater to me…" Joey stretched out her arms and kneeled on her bed to show Gina

The sleeves were too long and it reached her waist

"Do you want it tailored?" Gina asked, still standing by the door

"OF COURSE NOT, GEORGINA, ARE YOU CRAZY"

"I take that as a no… by the way, my lady, your mother is calling for you. She is currently waiting in the court room"

Joey hopped off her bed and trotted out her door, followed by Gina

…

Fran deeply sighed, crouched down by the couch that Belphegor had taken up

"Something wrong, Fran?" Lussuria noticed their teammate's depression

"…" the boy merely closed his eyes "I didn't sleep. At all"

"Ushishishi~ sucks for you" Bel laughed

"Bel!" Lussuria scolded "You can go back up and try to catch some sleep. We'll wake you up when there's a mission"

"…" Fran got up and went out of the room

"Probably Isabella's fault" Bel stated, causing Fran to stop

"Hm?" Lussuria hummed

"Isabella must have been thinking of him all night. Ushishishi~"

"She is a burden" Fran mumbled

"A burden?" Lussuria repeated

"What are you talking about, froggy?" Bel sat up and looked at him

Fran exited he room, avoiding the questions

"He couldn't be seeing Isabella as a burden, is he?" Lussuria frowned

"If he does, then he's taking stupidity to a whole new level" Bel lied back down

"It must be his first love then" Squalo spoke up

"…" Lussuria and Bel directed their attention to Squalo

"He's still a brat; I bet he's troubled by those feelings" The shark crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat

…

"Mother, you called for me?" Joey pranced into the courtroom

"What a wonderful sweater you're wearing, Josephine" Her mother complimented

"Thank you" She grinned, twirling around

"Now back to why I called upon you, the Aristocrats and I have talked and agreed that it's time for you to get married"

The smile on Joey's face disappeared and a clear frown had replaced it

"I don't want to get married, not yet at least" She thought of a certain prince while confronting them

"You and Princess Isabella are 10 years late of being engaged. According to law, at the ripe age of 16, the princess must be wed to inherit the title of the Queen when the current ruler passes on" An aristocrat inserted

"Marry who? Some random prince from a country you want to create a union with?" Joey knew very well where this was heading

"Is there someone the princess wants to marry?" Katherina smiled

"Y-yes" Joey blushed, crossing her arms "Belphegor"

"That blond assassin?" An aristocrat exclaimed

"Princess, you can't be serious! He's not a prince!" Another added

"He will be when I marry him! Mother, I have the right to choose who I want to marry!" She exasperated

"Yes, yes you do" The queen nodded

"But, your highness, he's not a prince" Another aristocrat interrupted

"Prince or not, if my daughter loves him, and he loves her back, they have my blessing for marriage"

"We… we do?" Joey quietly said, looking at her mother

"Your highness, what will we do about the many prince who have waited for Princess Josephine?"

"Let them at least meet the princess and maybe she might have a change of mind"

The aristocrats kept complaining and Joey was at her limit

"FINE! I'll entertain the top 3 princes that you believe is compatible with me. One prince per day starting tomorrow" She demanded, giving a pleading look to her mother

"Agreed. I will leave the decision to the aristocrats then. You may go, Josephine" Katherina calmly resolved with a nod

Joey sighed, dropping her arms to her side while she exits the room

"You seem livid" Nathan popped out behind her

"Quite" She rubbed her nape

"Being a princess has its downfall?" He joked

"Princess Punishment: There is no happy ending if you follow the rules"

"My lady" Gina approached with a worried tone

"What's up?"

"Lady Isabella"

…

The castle stood 5 stories tall, hiding some secret passages within

On the topmost floor, a roofless balcony grew old

Wildflowers nurtured along the ledges with a bright green moss trailing after it

Isabella sat on the ledge, legs falling outwards

"What brought you up here, dear sister?" Joey appeared on the opposite side of the balcony

"Didn't you have trouble getting up here?" Isabella kept her eye on the horizon

"I slipped a couple of times, darn moss… how about you?"

"I made an illusion of stairs"

This peculiar balcony had no direct entrance into the castle; the only way to it is through a window on the east wing

"What a beautiful scene, isn't it?" Joey walked up to her

"Exactly why I'm here…"

Joey sighed "What's wrong?"

"I'm not comfortable talking about it yet. You seemed troubled yourself" Isabella turned her head to Joey

"Aristocrats insisted that I get married already since I'm 10 years late. Obviously, I said no. But they got on my nerves and I agreed to meet their 3 top princes" Joey let out another sigh "One each day, starting tomorrow"

"Oh! So by the last prince, all you have to do is return to Italy!"

"You mean _we_ return to Italy"

Isabella paused and laughed "Oh yeah, we…"

"Fran loves you, silly. I'm sure of it. He just has to get used to feeling it" Joey stepped up on the ledge

"H-Hey, Josephine, you might fall" Isabella cautiously held her sister's leg

Joey breathed in, stretching up her arms into the dusky sky

"3 more days"

…

…

**Reviews? Please and thank you!**


	39. Special Chapter

**SPECIAL CHAPTER  
><strong>

…

…

"Ciao, everyone!" Isabella waved

"What are you doing?" Fran, seated by Joey and Bel on the couch, looked at her

"Greeting the audience, silly" She grinned

"You don't have to do that, we're on a break" Her sister remarked, raising her foot to the coffee table

"Ushishishi~ the stupid author broke her laptop where the latest chapter of this story is" Bel snickered

"Her USB is broken too. What an idiot" Fran scoffed

Isabella turned to them with an exasperated look "I know that! I was suppose to tell them!"

Joey sighed "Well, for the time being, until the author's laptop is fixed, we would be more than happy to answer some questions"

"Rape that 'Review This Chapter' button down there to send your questions" Bel flashed his smirk

"Just like how Bel-sempai raped Jo-sempai" Fran announced in a monotonous voice

"WHAT" Isabella, Joey, and Bel shot a look at him

"What?" He asked back

"I/He didn't rape her/me!" Joey and Bel retorted in unison

"Well you two definitely had-" Fran raised a brow

"Stupid frog! Don't spoil anything!" Prince the Ripper threw a knife at Fran's head

"Ow, sempai~" He bluntly reacted

"For now, please click the 'Review This Chapter' button at the end of the page to send in your questions. Remember, you can only review a chapter once so pack that review with questions! This has been Isabella"

"Joey" Joey saluted

"Belphegor, ushishishi" He chuckled

"Fran" the frog bowed down

"Bye!" Isabella cheerfully waved goodbye until the room went black

**...**

**...  
><strong>

******:) **


	40. Special Chapter 2

**SPECIAL CHAPTER **

**PART 2**

…

…

"Yaaaaay! Our first reviewer who sent their questions is TsubasaFan1" Isabella held up her index finger, seated with everyone on the couch

"2" Joey gave a peace sign

"3" Bel held up 3 fingers as a makeshift crown/tiara

"0" Fran raised his hands up over his head, like a ballerina

"Yes, TsubasaFan1230 sent in 3 questions that Fran will read for us" Isabella handed over the laminated cue card to him

"Thank you, sempai" He bowed his head while receiving the card

"Ne, don't call me sempai! I'm just a couple-"

"JUST GET ON WITH THE QUESTIONS" Joey scolded, knowing that they'll argue for hours

"TsubasaFan1230 sent these questions_**: **_

_**Question #1! The question is for Joey. What is your idea of a perfect date? **_

_**Question #2! This question is for Isabella. Do you like apples? **_

_**Question #3! This is for Bel. If you had a chance, how would you dress Joey up?**_

So, Jo-sempai, what's your idea of a perfect date?" Fran read out loud

Joey glanced at Belphegor "If you want me to be cheesy, I would say any date with Bel will be my perfect date~" She cooed

"Ushishishi~"

"But it's not, some dates he took me we're not as perfect. Actually, they weren't at all" Joey bluntly said as metaphorical arrows stabbed Bel's whole being

"What?" He snapped

"We've been on 4 off-the-set dates. The first one was okay, you took me to the movies to watch Paranormal Activity. I didn't mind that. The second date we had, you brought me to the amusement park. It was okay until you started throwing knives in the 'knock the milk bottles' game because you ran out of baseballs to throw"

"Ushishishi~ I remember you cheering for me!" He reasoned

"I said 'NO, BEL! DON'T! STOP!' I was stopping you. We got kicked out of the amusement park and **WE** both had to pay for damages" She growled, crossing her arms

"Fine, fine, but didn't you enjoy the third and fourth dates?"

"You took me to a heavy metal concert. I hated it. Are you out of your mind? Taking a princess who grew up on classical and pop-rock music to a heavy metal concert?" She flicked his cheek

"Hey!" He irritably snapped

"That was by far the worst date I have been in. As for the recent date we've had, he took me out for a walk in the park"

"Until it…" Bel sweatdropped

"Until it started to rain, I didn't mind the downpour, my problem was lightning storm!" the purple haired girl frowned

"My sister's afraid of lightning and thunder" Isabella whispered

"Jo-sempai, despite the stupid dates the fake prince took you to, what is your ideal date?"

Joey brought out her mist box weapon and ignited her mist ring, releasing the butterflies

The winged insects gathered around Bel and temporarily concealed him

"I don't want him to know" Joey explained "My ideal date would be a stay at home kind, watching movies all day, eating ice cream and cakes, and just cuddling. Is that too much to ask, Belphegor?" She scowled at him after the butterflies returned to the box

"What? I didn't hear you!"

"Isabella-chan, do you like apples?" Fran changed the topic

Lussuria came barging in, holding a tray off apple slices

"Ciao~" He chimed, setting the tray in front of Isabella

"Thank you, Luss-nee! Back to the question; what kind of apples? I find that Spartan Apples are pretty delicious. Honey Crisps are sweet too. Ambrosia apples, Red Delicious apples, Golden Delicious apples, Empire apples, and Swiss Gourmet apples are nice too but I have to say Granny Smith apples are my favorite. I like their mint green color and its taste is very balanced, sweet and tart. Also,"

"Bel-sempai, if you had the chance: how would you dress Jo-sempai?" Fran interrupted, clearly bored of Isabella's answer

"Hey! I wasn't finish!" Isabella scolded him

"I would like her to wear my shirt that's been cropped with daisy dukes and her favorite boots. She looks adorable in them~" He promptly replied, ignoring Isabella as well

"You really want to expose my torso, perverted prince" Joey grumbled

"Perverted? Me? Ushishishi~" Bel simply snickered

"Bel! Are you a pervert towards Joey?" Lussuria pouted

"He is/ Am not!" Joey and Bel clashed statements

"Off set he would lift my shirts without my permission!" She tattled

"Ushishishi~ princess' body is quite perfect" Bel pushed her off the seat and lift her shirt, exposing her abdomen

"Wow~" Fran, Isabella, and even Lussuria stared in amazement at her abs

"Why don't you have that?" Fran asked Isabella

"It doesn't run in the family!" She replied, humiliated

"Yes, it does" Joey directly cut in

"Not in dad's side…" Her younger sister sulked

"It runs in both sides, you lazy girl, dad has just got more meat than muscle" Joey pinched the back of Bel's hand

"Ow!" Bel released her shirt and she sat down, covering her stomach

"Now settle down! I want to join this! Let me read the next question!" Lussuria got the next laminated cue card

"Ayaaaa, it's an anon question! Well, it was sent through the author's tumblr. Anon asks 'If Bel and Joey had kids, what would they name them?' This is a good one!" Lussuria cooed

"A girl named Arabelle" Joey shrugged

"And a boy named Joseph, ushishishi~" Bel snickered again

"So typical, coming from your names" Isabella rolled her eyes

Fran turned to her and said "What would our children's name be?"

"YOU WANT CHILDREN?" Isabella ecstatically replied to him with a grin

"No. They'll be a pain in the neck" He frankly said

"Then why'd you ask in the first place?" Isabella pouted

Fran bowed down in his seat "Please keep sending in questions by reviewing this chapter. Thank you!"

"Are you ignoring me again?"

"Bye!" Joey, Bel, and Lussuria chorused, while waving with Fran.

"HEY!" Isabella pouted.

…

…

**Reviews? Questions? Please and Thank you!**


	41. Special Chapter 3

**Special Chapter part 3**

…

…

"We are back!" Isabella jumped from her seat, raising her hands up above her head and vigorously shaking mint green pompoms

"Forgive my sister, everyone" Joey sighed, resting her chin on her bent knee that she hugged loosely

"We got some new questions! First things first, how are you guys?" Isabella turned to Fran and Bel, who were both sitting on either side of the couch, beside Joey

Fran lost in a thick, dark blue book simply replied with a nod while Bel shrugged

"The usual I guess, trying to convince your sister to go out with me again"

"No" Joey firmly stated, narrowing her eyes straight ahead

"But why?" Bel whined, throwing his head back

"Well, if you guys haven't read the previous chapter, here's a quick recap:" Isabella snapped her fingers and a 52" flat screen lowered from the ceiling

_**So, Jo-sempai, what's your idea of a perfect date?" Fran read out loud**_

_**Joey glanced at Belphegor "If you want me to be cheesy, I would say any date with Bel will be my perfect date~" She cooed**_

"_**Ushishishi~"**_

"_**But it's not, some dates he took me we're not as perfect. Actually, they weren't at all" Joey bluntly said as metaphorical arrows stabbed Bel's whole being**_

"_**What?" He snapped**_

"_**We've been on 4 off-the-set dates. The first one was okay, you took me to the movies to watch Paranormal Activity. I didn't mind that. The second date we had, you brought me to the amusement park. It was okay until you started throwing knives in the 'knock the milk bottles' game because you ran out of baseballs to throw"**_

"_**Ushishishi~ I remember you cheering for me!" He reasoned**_

"_**I said 'NO, BEL! DON'T! STOP!' I was stopping you. We got kicked out of the amusement park and WE both had to pay for damages" She growled, crossing her arms**_

"_**Fine, fine, but didn't you enjoy the third and fourth dates?"**_

"_**You took me to a heavy metal concert. I hated it. Are you out of your mind? Taking a princess who grew up on classical and pop-rock music to a heavy metal concert?" She flicked his cheek**_

"_**Hey!" He irritably snapped**_

"_**That was by far the worst date I have been in. As for the recent date we've had, he took me out for a walk in the park"**_

"_**Until it…" Bel sweatdropped**_

"_**Until it started to rain, I didn't mind the downpour, my problem was lightning storm!" the purple haired girl frowned**_

"_**My sister's afraid of lightning and thunder" Isabella whispered**_

Isabella had snapped her fingers once more and the flat screen rose up

"Didn't know we had that that…" Bel stared, dumbfounded, at where the TV screen disappeared to

"I had it installed" Isabella shrugged, and then added "For movies I failed to watch in theaters"

"Bel, what would you do if you were in a room alone with Joey and the only furniture there was a bed, a nightstand with a clock on it and the door was locked? Be honest." Fran asked out of the blue

"WHAT KIND OF QUESTION WAS THAT?" Joey scolded, turning crimson

"Yuki-shi-chan asked that not me" He picked up the dark blue book once more

"Ushishishi~ well, we all know what would happen" Bel snickered

Joey scowled and folded her arms

"What are you implying?" Innocent Isabella tilted her head to the side

Her sister simply sighed and irritably looked at Bel

"Shall I expound?" He snickered once more

"No" She monotonously replied

"Well, last time that happened, and yes, your question had happened quite a couple times and every moment has been the same, ushishishi~" Bel grinned, completely ignoring Joey

"I would give her a foot massage, and then she'd feel all relaxed" He continued

"Then the raping begins" Joey grumbled

"I don't 'rape', Joey. Especially if you comply with it" He flashed a wicked grin

"Molestation at most, then" She snapped back, leaning away from him

"That's basically it, Yuki-shi-chan" Bel nodded

Isabella looked uncomfortable from what Bel had said and stuttered as she asked the next question

"Ne… Fran, what would you do if Bel asked you out?" She blushed

"Probably ignore him" Fran muttered, intently reading the book in his hands

"But we all know how you feel" Joey whispered, suppressing a laugh

"I would never ask him out, we're both men!" Bel growled

The Giovanni sisters sarcastically nodded their heads

"MOVING ON!" Bel snatched a cue card on the table "Still from Yuki-shi-chan, Joey, who is your ideal boyfriend like? And what do you think of Bel?" He curiously glanced at her

"My ideal boyfriend? That depends, within the story or a famous actor? Well, within the story, I think it would be" She pauses and gazes at Bel with a soft smile

"Ushishishi~" He merely laughed, feeling proud as he knew it all along

"Fran" Joey continued, turning her head to the green haired boy, absorbed in his book

"WHAT?" They all exclaimed, even Fran who looked up from his book

"But I wouldn't say him completely. Maybe Fran and Bel combined" Joey shrugged them off

"Ne, I bet I know who the famous actor is" Isabella slyly whispered

"Do you now?" Her sister raised a brow at her

"Choi Minho of SHINee, am I right?"

On cue, she blushed a ridiculous shade of red, promptly nodding her head

"Aha! I knew it" Isabella flipped her hair with a hand and proudly blinked at them

"You like kpop?" Bel probed her

"Yes, yes I do. Which leads me to the 2nd part of the question: I think that Bel is a megalomaniac self-titled prince, who is clearly a sadist, AND masochist. He regards himself higher than everyone else, even Xanxus, which we all know, is impossible. Minho, on the other hand, is completely lovable and understanding. And almost perfect, compared to Bel… And I think that's a lot to say" Joey nonchalantly said

"I'm not a sadist or a masochist" He eyed her beneath his bangs

"Trust me, Belphegor. You are" She sincerely smiled at him "Now then, Isabella, if Fran asked you out would you say yes or no and why?"

Isabella raised her shoulders and tilted her head to the side "Of course, I'd say yes! He's actually a fun person to be with, though he looks boring. Off-set, we actually play around with our illusions while the Author doesn't know"

"She will know about that, you know" Fran glanced up from his book

"Is it wrong for her to know?" Isabella blinked

"I don't think so" A female voice entered the scene

A tall, caramel-skin, teenager with long dark brown hair, styled into what looks like Legolas' hair style, with matching dark brown eyes, came up behind them

She was wearing black fitted jeans, a purple cropped top with a tan tank top within, gray flats, and accessories like dream catcher earrings and a simple oval ring that says 'miracles happen'

"Author-san" They all stood and bowed down

"Whoa, no need to do that" She laughed, gesturing them to sit down

As they did, Isabella asked "Author-san, er, Miss Author… what brings you here to the set?"

"Call me Rj" She smiled

"You have a boy's name?" Bel asked

"Well, you have a girl's nickname. And Joey's a boy's name too" She petulantly snapped

"Aren't you snappy, I don't care if you're the author, I'm going to rip you!" Bel raised a knife

"I'm disappointed with the fact that you are raping my OC off-set!" Rj scolded

"Way to go, Rj!" Joey cheered

"Hmph" Bel retreated his knife and pouted like a child

"Well, I'm here because Lussuria told me there's a question for me… from Tsubasa1230, I believe?"

Isabella scanned through the remaining cue cards and picked on out

"Here! It says 'Are you going to put like an epilogue or something for the ending? 'Cause I want to know if Joey and Bel will get married? How do you want your wedding to be like?' Oh… I guess the last one is meant for Joey and Bel" Isabella passed the card to Rj

"Hmm, I won't be putting an epilogue because I intend to finish Josephine's entire story. Are Joey and Bel getting married? I do not know. Actually, I do. I have the chapter summaries mapped out in my currently broken laptop. There are more events happening, believe me. So please, pray for my laptop, rather, pray that I have enough expenses to pay for its repairs"

"Rj, can you be the host for today?" Isabella batted her lashes

"Well, I have to read Noli Me Tangere, but sure, as if I understand that anyways… Bel, Joey, how do you want your wedding to be like?"

The two looked at each other for awhile and turned to Rj

"Can't you answer that? You're writing it" They asked in unison

"I'm giving you a chance to plan out your wedding, if you two are actually getting married" Rj frowned at them

"Please?" Joey pouted at her, batting her lashes nonstop

"Ugh, I don't know, a royal wedding like William and Kate? But better of course. And more drama. I'm all about drama" Rj shrugged

"The next question" Isabella eagerly handed out the card to Rj, who muttered her thanks

"Fran, according to TsubasaFan1230, you need some love. What would you want for Christmas or birthday?" Rj poked his frog hat

"The sequel to this book, perhaps… maybe even the whole trilogy of it. But, to be honest, I don't know what I want. Isabella just tells me to accept whatever I receive and be grateful for it" He momentarily closed the book to answer

"Aww, I'm such a good influence on you" Isabella cooed

"What book are you reading anyway?" Rj peered at it

"You're too young for it. You're 15 aren't you?" He hugged the book to his chest

"I TURNED 16 LAST JULY 10, EXCUSE YOUR FACE" She defensively answered

"Ne, you're too loud!" Fran complained

"Hmph. I guess that's all the questions for now. Keep sending some more, okay?" Rj waved

"Rj, while they send in questions, you want to go out with me and Isabella?" Joey stood up, stretching her limbs

"We're going to visit the Tenth" Isabella repeated her sister's actions

"THAT MEANS AN OLDER FUUTA" Rj exclaimed

"Yeah, why…?" Joey dragged her hand across her hair

"I feel such a cougar crushing on him. He's a teenager, like me, now" She gave a ridiculous smirk and turned on her heel "Let's go!" She jumped

"But, technically, you're 26 in this time" Isabella inquired

A metaphorical arrow with the words 'STILL A COUGAR' written in a capitalized, Impact font, shot through Rj's body

"Oh well" She sulked, waiting for the Giovanni sisters to follow her out the room

"HEY! How about me? You can't leave me with that bookworm!" Bel accusingly pointed at Fran who began to read his book again

"Go work out. I love Minho's muscles" Joey winked at him

"I know right! And Taemin's dancing is just too good to be true!" Rj squealed

"You're a SHAWOL?" Joey took Rj's hands

"YES!" They fangirled out the door and Isabella sweat dropped at the sight

"Well, we're off to the tenth now" She sighed

After they had left, Bel frowned at Fran "I'm going to the gym"

"Whatever" Fran stood up and left him as well

"…" Bel sat in silence for a minute or to, until he got up and walked to the door

"Oh right" He paused and turned around

"Since Isabella and Joey aren't here, I guess I have to say this: Please keep on sending in your questions while Rj's laptop is being repaired. Ciao, ushishishi~"

…

…

**Reviews?**

**Please and Thank you!**

**In addition: If you have questions for the author, feel free to ask :)**

**Facts: I am a SHAWOL. An ELF. And maybe a SONE too. To be frank, I like kpop :)**

**Also, I guess I pretty much told you how I looked… except the clothing. I'm wearing pajamas right now, but I do have those items in my closet #randommuch**


	42. Special Chapter 4

**Special Chapter 4**

…

…

"Wow! We have, like, 8 questions!" Isabella counted the laminated cue cards in her hands

"4 coming from a dedicated fan, am I right, TsubasaFan1230? Ushishishi~" Bel flashed a Cheshire grin

"Another question from Yuki-shi-chan and a new one from TricksterOwl6996" Joey added

"Eh? Where's Fran?" The blue haired princess looked around Varia's lounge room

The maple wood door adorned with Varia's crest, creaked open and Fran, in uniform, enters

"Sorry for being late, I had to get Rj-sempai" He reasoned, letting Rj in

"Isn't it too early for us to answer questions again? I'm tired, I don't get my own native language, and I have to learn French" She whined, wearing her school uniform (I will not describe because I might give it away to my Filipino readers)

"Then why'd you still go here?" Fran closed the door behind him

"Do you think I want to do those things?" She blankly stated, taking a seat on an armchair beside the couch

Bel picked a cue card up and his lips pursed "If the story is in 10 years later, does that mean Bel is 27? Ushishishi~ I don't think Rj focuses on years in the story. But Joey is 25 in the story and I'm supposedly a year older. So I'm still 26, I guess"

"Oh. Jo-sempai, when's your birthday?" Fran asked out of the blue

She shrugged "June 25"

"JUNE 25?" Lussuria burst in through the doors, causing everyone to jump

"Y-yeah… Come to think about it, I'm already 26… Bel is already 27"

Lussuria frowned "It's been months after your birthday! I should have made a party for you! Hmm"

"Mine was July 23" Isabella smiled, guiltlessly

"WHAT. AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ANYONE?" Lussuria screamed

"Ne, I was too involve in hosting this thing" She giggled

"NO. I WILL BAKE YOU A FORSAKEN CAKE" And with that, Luss-nee had stomped off

"It takes about an hour to bake a cake, right? Let's get on with this then" Rj leaned over the table and chose a cue card

"Hmm, 'Rj-chan, which is your favorite character in this fic?' asked by TsubasaFan1230. Joey, of course! Josephine is hard on the outside but soft and shy in the inside. She's very secretive and is, in fact, inspired from yours truly" Rj fistbumped Joey

"Why do I find that hard to believe?" Bel murmured

"I'm dense. Trust me" Rj assured and Bel painted an expression of understanding

"I see now" He snickered

"Whoa! Here's a question, I'm interested in!" Isabella interrupted, holding up a cue card "To both Bel and Joey, what would you do if one of which broke up with the other?"

Bel frowned at Isabella "The prince wouldn't like it"

"Well, most probably, I would cry my heart about it, after awhile I'll sulk from time to time, then maybe sooner or later, I'd move on" Joey confidently answered, dismaying Belphegor

Rj laughed to herself "I bet Bel would cry, sulk, move on, and sulk again"

"More or less" Bel grumbled, crossing his arms

"That question was from Yuki-shi-chan, and this next one is from TsubasaFan1230: Isabella-chan, did you have a secret crush before I came into the picture?" Fran monotonously asked, staring deadpan into Isabella's eyes

"D-didn't I say in the first chapters that I found Bel cute and even asked Josephine if I could have him? But then again, he's destined to be with my sister so, yeah, I liked him before" Isabella sheepishly answered, twiddling her thumbs with the fabric of her skirt

Fran shifted uncomfortably, placing the cue card in a box labeled 'Answered'

"But you know, I'd choose you over Bel, right?" Isabella tried to add enthusiasm in her tone

He remained silent and picked up another question and read it, rather hurriedly

"Joey was raped? How could you Bel? What if she gets pregnant before marriage?"

Joey vigorously nodded her head with a-you-have-no-idea facial expression

"Ushishishi~ she's playing hard to get! And like I said before, it's not rape if you comply!" Bel defended

"You don't even practice safe sex" She snapped back

"Ushishishi~ I like it natural? I have a very strong opinion about the RH Bill, you know. A very negative opinion." Bel stated in-a-matter-of-fact way

"Haha, TsubasaFan1230! Have you infiltrated my laptop repair shop's location and pre-read the chapter summaries?" Rj interrupted, cocking an eyebrow

Aerbourne's princess choked on nothing, bringing her hand to her lips to press it down

"WHY AM I SPOILING THIS, NEXT QUESTION IS FROM TRICKSTEROWL6996! Joey, what do you think Bel would look like with Fran's hat?" Rj paused at the end of the question and her eyes shot from Bel to Fran's frog hat

"I can't see it…" Joey cocked her head to the right and stared at Bel

Isabella stood up and plucked the hat off Fran's head

She handed it to Joey who gently placed it on Bel's head

"Awww~" The Giovanni sisters cooed at him

"Suits Fran more" Rj commented, reading an English version of Noli Me Tangere

"Yup" They stifled a laugh, agreeing in unison

Bel scowled and threw the hat back to Fran, who hesitantly wore it

"Hey, more questions are coming in…" Rj walked over to the printer

"If Joey could, what sort of clothes would she dress up the whole Varia in? Both serious and funny… Well, Joey?" She cocked a brow at her

"Let's start with Xanxus. I would like to see him in decent attire: maybe black slacks with a crisp, clean white polo, black leather shoes and I really like to see that raccoon tail hanging by his ear. Also… if it were a casual day, it would be nice to see him in ripped jeans, cowboy boots, an open checkered shirt… aha, I would like to see him as a cowboy! With matching hat!" Joey fantasized

"I-I'm scared to know what you want me to wear…" Bel stuttered

"Well, I already like your clothes but I can somewhat see you as a Casanova" She tapped her chin with her long finger

"Ca-Casanova?"

"With the whole get up: puffy white shirt, tight pants, boots" Joey shrugged

"How about me, Jo-sempai?" Fran called out, pointing a finger at himself

Joey tilted her head from left to right, humming

"I'd dress you as a kindergartener~ yellow jumpsuit, red shirt, white knee high socks and sneakers"

"Kawaii~ Lussuria and Squalo now!" Isabella cooed, cupping her own cheeks

"Luss-nee is fabulous and I don't have to dress him up. Squalo reminds me of Mirage from the Incredibles. Sooo, I'd like to see him in a sleek business suit"

"How about a funny outfit?" Rj interjected

Joey frowned "Isn't that funny enough? Squalo in a business suit? Well, maybe it would be better if he cosplayed as Mirage. There you go!"

"How about the perverted Levy, Jo-sempai?" Fran poked Joey's bicep repeatedly

She paused for a minute and pouted "I don't really know…"

"Hey!" Rj jerked up from her seat "Maybe the readers have some ideas for Levy's clothing! Create a look for Levy and send it via tumblr, twitter, or my email! You can draw it on paper and take a picture of it, or draw it on paint if you have a tablet, or use ! I promise to feature Levy in the best clothes you can think of for him in the story"

"You're bored with your life" Bel murmured.

"Yes, Bel, I am bored with my life. I haven't updated for months already. I'm really sorry about that! I was in the hospital for a really long time :-( but in other news, I'm 95% sure that I will start updating the story ( for realz ) in 2013" Rj held up her right hand as a sign of promise

"But you can still send in questions and we'll answer it after every chapter!" Isabella grinned

The printer started to vomit out more cue cards and Fran fetched them

"Does Katherina know that Bel is actually of Royal Lineage? Asked by Fai Giovanne" He handed the card to Rj

"Fai Giovanne? THIS IS MY TWIN! Well, not really. But I have a private fanfic and that's one of the characters! She's also a close friend in real life :-) anyways, I don't think Katherina knows just yet. I guess you, along with everyone else, gots to wait for mah updates, ha? Ha?" Rj cocked her brow multiple times

"Painogirl1999: Question for Isabelle: How would you react it Fran asked you out? Do you think that he's an idiot for not realizing that you like him before? Hmmm, Isa-chan, will you answer this?" Fran stared, deadpan, into Isabella's eyes

"Ano… I'd be thrilled and quite ecstatic… also, I don't think Fran is an idiot. Naïve, yes, childish too, but not stupid" She quietly answered with a small blush

"Bel: do you really think of getting married to Joey and going back to royalty?( i mean didn't you run from it in the first place) asked Ree" Fran turned to Bel

"Well" The sadistic prince rolled his 'L' and grinned at Joey "Will you marry me, Josephine?"

Joey remained oblivious, staring blankly ahead

"Stick to the question, Belphegor" Rj scolded

"I didn't really run from it. I just got bored. I bet it would be better if I was king and Jo would be my queen, am I right, princess?" He turned once more to Joey, who once again, ignored him.

Bel grumbled to himself and crossed his arms

"That's all for now I guess… What now?" Isabella asked

"MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Rj exclaimed out of the blue

"Hey! Let's celebrate with Luss-nee's cake!" Joey cheered

"I heard my naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame~" Lussuria's voice chimed from the walls

"That was scary… I didn't even say that out loudly…" Joey blinked

"Well, goodbye for now!" Isabella waved her hands and the lights turned off

…

…

"**WHY DID THE LIGHTS GO OFF?!" Rj cried**

"**Ah, ah~ there seems to be a power outage. But the cake is ready to eat now!" Lussuria's voice oozed off the walls again**

"**That is really creeping me out… who am I holding onto?" Joey asked, clutching onto some fabric**

"**That would be me, princess~ ushishishi~" Bel giggled**

"**I THOUGHT THE MANSION HAD A BACK-UP GENERATOR?" Isabella whined**

"**Let's just feel are way out then… Rj-sempai… why are your hands cold? Please let go of me" Fran tried to shake the grip off his arm**

"**Ha? Fran… I'm holding onto Isabella… and we're near the wall already"**

"**The princess and I are with them too, frog…"**

"**Th-then who's holding Fran?"**

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"**AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHH"**

…

…

**Twitter: RoseanJulie**

**Tumblr: maknaesdancersrappers**

**Email: rj_ yahoo . com**

**Please review and keep holding on for the next update!**


	43. Prince Richard

**CHAPTER 32**

…

…

_**3 DAYS TO GO**_

…

…

"So who am I meeting?" Joey lazily asked, fixing her outfit

She wore an off-white laced, long sleeved cocktail dress with an ivory corset. Wearing dark stockings, her stylist finished the look with white doll shoes with purple ribbons.

"Prince Richard Davy of Sheffield Kingdom" Gina handed her a folder that contained his picture and basic information

Opening the folder, Joey made a face at Richard Davy's picture

"Be nice, my lady. Not everyone looks like Prince Belphegor" Gina suppressed a laugh

"Aha… it's not that, uhm, Richard is a four-eyed… metal faced boy"

"My lady!" Gina knew she would react like that

Joey tucked the photo behind the other papers and read his profile

"28, a black belter, top honors, yada yada, master fencer, blah blah, doctor's degree, teacher's degree, all the other nonsense princes believe they need to do to get hitched" She exclaimed "Or laid" She added

"We're here, my lady" Gina opened the courtroom doors

"Ah, here is my daughter. Prince Richard, meet Princess Josephine Ka-.."

"He does not need to know my second name, mother" Joey interrupted

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, princess" the brunette prince bowed down

"Pleasure is all mine…" Joey bobbed her head and quietly said "I guess"

"Shall we, your highness?" Richard held out his hand

Joey resisted the urge to roll her eyes and forced out a smile, taking his hand

Watching her daughter and guest exit the room, Katherina heard the king of Sheffield talk

"Excuse me, King Rupert, but would you give me a minute"

"Of course, your majesty" the plump king replied

"Gina" Katherina nodded her head at the servant and Gina bowed, exiting the room

"You do not trust my son being alone with your daughter?" Sheffield's king whispered

"I do not trust my daughter alone with your son" Katherina shook her head

"Oh my, something that I must know?" He asked

"Do have tea with me, King Rupert"

…

"Ow!" Isabella tripped on her dress

"Are you okay? Why are you even wearing a dress?" Nathan laughed, helping her up

"Because I wasn't allowed to do this in the first place" She dusted herself

They were spying on Joey and Richard, having tea on a gazebo in the middle of the garden's maze

"I can't hear them" Nathan pressed himself against the 7 foot tall bushes of the maze

Isabella took his hands and smiled, causing him to blush

"The benefits of being an illusionist" She winked, as both of them started to dissipate

"You're rather amazing, Isabella" He sheepishly whispered

"Thank you" Isabella whispered back, still holding his hand as she guides him to closer hiding spot

"Lovely day" Richard spoke after swallowing the warm tea

"Quite" Joey swirled the liquid around her cup, jadedly staring at it

"Tell me something about yourself, princess"

"Let's cut the crap, okay. I don't plan on marrying you or any of the other overachievers those aristocrats lined up for me" Joey snapped though gracefully putting the cup down

Isabella suppressed a laugh "That's so Josephine" she whispered to Nathan

"Oh thank god" Richard groaned

"What?" His statement took all of them by surprise

"Glad is all, your highness. I, too, don't want to marry" He explained

Joey blinked "W-were you forced to do this too?"

The prince nodded his head with a laugh and then paused "May I ask, your highness, why you don't want to marry?"

"I do, actually, someday. In fact, there's someone who I hope wants to marry me like I want to marry him" Joey sheepishly admitted with rosy cheeks

"Is that the blonde everyone is talking about that monopolized you for most of the evening?"

Joey blinked once more "Was everyone looking at us?"

"More of you, your highness, everyone wanted to see how much you've grown over the past years. Clearly different, as I remember it" Richard said

"I'm sorry, but did we meet before today?"

He shook his head "We've seen each other but never met. Your father and my uncle met in Italy… unfortunately, my uncle was assassinated after we had met"

"I'm sorry… wait a minute… I remember a time* when we were in Italy, the first time we were there, actually…" Joey paused, recollecting her childhood "I snuck away from my father with Isabella. We were sightseeing in town until we heard a gun shot… that was your uncle, Richard?"

"Yes, I believe so. It was terrifying, your highness. The criminals were even calm in leaving the scene. I remember the shooter, your highness, his face is still etched in my head"

"If I was anything near how I am right now before, I could have done something"

Richard chuckled quietly "Thank you, your highness"

"So, is there someone you want to marry?"

The spectacled prince suddenly grew red.

"Oh, I see. There is someone! Another princess from another kingdom?" Joey perked up from her seat.

"Do you know of Bethany Mahone, Duchess of Jaravon?" The prince had bashfully asked

"Bethany Mahone… Bethany Mahone…" Joey tapped her chin "Betsy! Betsy Mahone! Yes! I remember her! We were playmates!"

"She has been the apple of my eye for many years now, your highness. But our kingdoms have not been in good terms the past years, I believe our chances of becoming is rather low"

Joey frowned and slumped back on her chair "How come?"

Richard scratched his nape with a pathetic smile "King Mahone's servants had caught Bethany and I… as they say… fooling around one night and the king got mad. My father did not believe him and this silent war had begun"

"What?" She coughed "You two have already started seeing each other without your parents consent? Why couldn't you come clean already?"

"You and Bethany have the same princess duties, your highness… she, too, was designated to someone else" His tone had grown morose, though his lips were still curled into a smile

"Damn, I hate being a princess"

"Then why did you return?"

"For my mother" Joey had almost snapped at him in reply.

It was the only reason she returned back to Aerbourne. To spend all those lost moments with her mother from her childhood. Come to think of it, aside from meals, when else did she and her family bonded?

Isabella had been wondering off by herself; mostly winding up on the secret balcony.

Her mother had been swarmed by aristocrats, updating her of what had happened for more than a decade of her absence, asked of her plans for the kingdom, and bombarded by the question that her daughters fear the most: Who will the princesses marry?

"If you don't mind, your highness…" Richard's voice brought her back to conscience "What actually happened?"

"Happened to what?"

"The… The… uhm… The Massacre, your highness"

Joey's blue orbs had dimmed down "I was… fed up. With all the wrong that I thought what I had done was right but it still ended up being the wrong thing for my family… yet it was the best for the kingdom"

Silence inhabited over them.

"He forgave me in the end. It was his last breath. What I did still bothers me to this day… if I hadn't done that, then Aerbourne would be corrupt. But if I hadn't done so, mother would have never returned… I wouldn't… have met the Ninth, Xanxus, Squalo, Lussuria, Levi, Fran and… and… Belphegor… Forgive me, I'm just rambling now"

"No, it's fine, your highness! You can trust me with these kinds of things. I'm practically a wallflower"

"Anyways, you should tell your father what you want. Maybe he'd understand, right? Tell him… his own love story. I'm sure it would work" Joey effervescently grinned at him.

Richard nodded with an appreciative smile "Thank you, your highness. If there's anything I can do in return, please do tell me"

She pursed her lips for a quick second and leaned forward, whispering "Do you know who the other 2 princes I'm supposed to meet in the next days?"

"Jeremy of the Eastern French Kingdom and Lawrence of-…"

"Mirquee?!" Joey interjected

"Yes, your highness"

She slumped back into her seat and groaned "Of all the princes, Lawrence of Mirquee?! That son of a douche?"

"He's son of the duke, your highness"

Joey snorted "I meant douche, Richard"

"Son of a shower?" the clueless prince had tilted his head in confusion

"Douche has a more… rude connotation in the Western" Joey explained.

"I see…"

…

"Richard does look like a nerd" Nathan murmured under his breath

Isabella eyed him with a smile "That's rude"

"But you still laugh at it, therefore, agree! I rest my case, Isabella" He grinned back

"By the way, what do you know about that Lawrence fellow my sister obviously hates?"

"He's thrice the overachiever Richard is. He's a pompous person, thinking highly of himself. He usually gets what he wants"

The blue-haired beauty frowned "Well, there's one thing he's not getting and it's Josephine!"

"Yes, sister, Larry will never get me" Joey had appeared behind them, apparently Richard had left already

"Josephine!" Both screamed out and fell out of the illusion

"I really didn't appreciate your eavesdropping here" Joey twirled the locks of her hair behind her ear.

"Forgive me, your highness" Nathan immediately bowed down

"We were just curious… in fact; it was only me who was curious. I just dragged Nathan with me!" Isabella explained

"Reason all you want, but I don't want that happening again, got it?"

"Yes, Josephine"

…

"Ushishishi~ I wonder what my princess is doing now?" Belphegor chuckled, sprawled on the couch

"Maybe shopping for dresses and gowns! I'm so jealous~" Lussuria answered, cupping his face with joy

"Jo-sempai doesn't seem the type to do that" Fran interrupted

Lussuria frowned "Isabella-chan is! And I bet she dragged Joey-kun along!"

The petit illusionist paused "Yeah, sure"

"What's up with you, Froggy? Every time we mention Isabella, you go silent. More than usual, I mean" Bel spat, aiming his knives at the frog hat.

"Ow, sempai~"

"What would you do if some other prince decides to sweep Isabella off her feet?" Bel questioned, throwing another set that dug into Fran's hat

"I'd read a book"

"You wouldn't care?"

"Why should I?"

"Because she loves you?"

"She does? Well…"

"Well, what, frog?"

"**I don't love her back"**

…

…

**Ooooooooooooooooh what is up with Fran, huh?**

**AND YES, I FINALLY UPDATED THE ACTUAL STORY OF VARIA'S CLOUD GUARDIAN.**

**I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG DELAY.**

**Please do bombard me with reviews and I promise to keep the VCG folder in all of my USBs and Laptops so I may never lose them ever again. Amen.**

**Thank you for reading!**


	44. Prince Jeremy Jacque part 1

**CHAPTER 33**

…

…

**2 more days**

…

"Why am I being sent off to France?" Our violet-haired princess grumbled in frustration

Barely awake at 3 a.m. and boarded on a plane to France, Joey kept her eyes shut while the airplane crew made last minute preparations for the flight.

Her only companion for the day, Gina, smiled "Prince Jeremy Jacque insists on wooing you in his own kingdom"

"His parents have passed away already but he still hasn't earned the crown yet?"

"He has inherited it, but he hasn't earned the title of king because of his relationship status"

Joey opened her eyes just to roll them "That is really stupid, Gina. So the Eastern French kingdom is being ruled by a prince, who is technically king but they say he's not because he's single?"

"Yes, my lady" Gina dutifully answered, handing her a blindfold

…

**7 a.m.**

On the Aristocrat's wing of the castle, a soft knock echoed thrice in Nathan's room

"Come in" the aristocrat's son called out, throwing a towel over his dripping head of hair after zipping up his pants

His door creaked open and he had expected a maid with his ironed blouse and jacket, but a shade of blue entered instead

"Your highness" He exclaimed, ashamed being seen half-clothed

"It's just me, Nathan, jeez" Isabella frowned, closing the door behind her

"I was just surprised, what brings you here?" He tried to sound casual

Isabella's eyes scanned the room, gazing upon the stacks of books on the Maplewood table and then to the 3 shelves filled with more of them "Josephine left for the Eastern French Kingdom"

"Ah, for Prince Jeremy"

"Hm" Isabella kept scanning the room, until she ended up looking Nathan in eye "What do you know about him?"

Nathan sort of snorted, leaving her to raise an eyebrow

"He's gay"

"He's what?"

"Gay. Not straight. Third sex"

She kept a straight face "How do you know?"

Nathan shrugged his bare shoulders "His parents had died over 2 years ago and by now, he should have married this other kingdom's princess. Princess Antoinette, I believe" he paused for a bit and then continued

"But she didn't like him, and said he was pretty off. Jeremy is the only heir to the throne. If he doesn't produce any sons, he might as well destroy his kingdom now"

The whole time Nathan had been talking, Isabella was ogling his upper body.

From his evident clavicle, etching out at the bottom of his neck, to his toned physique; his lean figure that towered over her by at least a good 5 inches, to his abdomen that sported a softly carved 6-pack.

"That's… a pretty strong opinion, Nathan" She looked up once more at the brunette

"But still an opinion" He shrugged once more

A knock on the door disrupted them

"Come in!"

A maid came in with a pressed suit jacket and blouse "Forgive me, sir, if I took a while…" she looked up after her small bow and Isabella gave her a smile

"Your highness" She exclaimed, bowing 90 degrees down.

"Hello there" Isabella merely uttered, watching Nathan stroll to get his clothes

"Thank you for bringing this over, Becky"

After the maid handed over his clothes and bowed down once more, she left.

"Do you have plans today?" Isabella asked

Fixing his blouse before buttoning it, Nathan replied "Go around town? Roam the castle?"

"Read books?"

"Ha" Nathan scoffed "It's a habit"

"A cute habit; you have a million books in your room"

He threw a shy smile "258, but who's counting?"

Isabella laughed and shook her head "How about hanging out with me? Josephine's not here and I have nothing to do"

"What do you have in mind?"

"Well, I'd like to show you my favorite part of the castle"

"I'd like that, then"

"It's a date then! Meet me in the 3rd floor of the east wing" Isabella clapped her hands and left the room excitedly

…

"Jeremy is the artistic type, huh? Majored in Fine Arts and owns 2 of the most famous art museums in their kingdom. He has some of his own artworks in Louvre museum. Interested in Fashion? Whoa there" Joey paused

"He plans to launch his own clothing line. My lady, please do not jump to conclusions"

"It was just a thought. I didn't even say it out loud" She defensively whispered, giving back the file to Gina as she entered the escort car the prince had prepared

"I'll see you later, my lady" Gina closed the door

"What?"

"Bonjour, you must be Princess Josephine" A voice loomed from the other side of the car

"Holy shit, what the fuck" Joey cursed, jumping to face the voice

"Forgive me, I didn't mean that" A blonde boy giggled

His gold hair was pushed up with both sides of his head were partly shaved, his dimple was clear though his smile was small, his green eyes were bright, and his complexion seemed fair and smooth

"Jeremy? I mean, Prince Jeremy" Joey stuttered

"Jeremy is fine, if I may call you Josephine, mademoiselle"

"Joey is better"

"I hope you don't mind going to an art museum"

"Yours, I suppose?"

He flashed a smile and nodded "I'm very proud of my museums"

"Must be pretty pricey then, right?"

Jeremy shook his head "No, absolutely not. Both of my museums have no entrance fees. There's strict security though. Why should I restrict the public to my works?"

"That's pretty awesome. So, what else do you want to do?" Joey asked

"I think I'm pretty much done with what I want to do. What matters now is what everyone else wants"

Joey's brows burrowed "What everyone else wants?"

"My people expect me to wed soon, you see. Produce the next heirs to my kingdom. Why would you think I'd agree to this little arrangement?"

She shrugged her shoulders and frowned

Jeremy simply smiled at her "I think it's time for me to settle down. Get married, have kids, and rule this kingdom. It would rather be an inconvenience if I put my goals behind for others. It sounds selfish but, in the end, it's for the best for everyone"

"How so?"

"Well, at least with my goals fulfilled, I can give my all in ruling this place. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I can't really say" Joey sheepishly admitted "I haven't ruled over people in years, if you haven't heard"

"Won't you take the throne after your mother?"

"I haven't really thought about that. Isabella's the one who dreamt about being queen, not me. The rules clearly state the firstborn shall always inherit the crown."

Jeremy seemed to hold back some laughter "You follow by the rules?"

Joey gestured her shoulders once more

"The rules are more like guidelines really. Most of them are. It just depends if you want to follow by it or not. Take me for example, I should have married years ago but I chose not to"

"Are you telling me to give the crown to Isabella when I get inaugurated?"

"If you don't want the crown, then why burden yourself? Make your sister happy and give it to her. The people will understand, right?"

Joey started to smile, Jeremy was really easy to talk to and he's helping her answer some questions burning the back of her mind

"Wait," She mumbled "Don't take this the wrong way, but, I don't want to marry you or get involve with you"

"Oh, Oh, I know. It's that blonde one during the revival party?"

Joey threw her head back and groaned "Jesus! Was everyone looking at us?"

Jeremy laughed "Afraid so. They were all curious on how much you've grown. But it has been bothering a lot… didn't Isabella… die during the massacre?"

This was the first time that topic was brought up. How were they to explain Isabella's rebirth?

"She… survived. Miraculous, really" Joey secretly crossed her fingers

"Rumors say she didn't. A maid, who watched everything, was able to escape. Then again… her body was never recovered"

Joey let out a sigh of relief "At least I didn't kill her off completely"

"Y-Yeah" Jeremy's tone turned to a worried manner

"What I did before was completely impulsive. I promised my mother I would never do anything like that ever again. Please, don't be afraid of me"

"Pardon me. The whole murder of my parents haven't left my mind yet"

"Your parents were murdered?"

Jeremy nodded his head "It seemed like an accident, but it's far from that. My parents had died before the actual car crashed"

"I'm so sorry to hear that…"

"It's fine. I just wish I had more time with them. I wasn't really the son they expected to have"

"Same here, I guess…" Joey stared down on her floral-print covered lap.

"Well, we're here now" Jeremy's side of the door was opened up by a bodyguard who had ridden a different car

Joey slid out after him, greeted by a breeze of cool air.

The museum stood 70 feet high, made completely by ash-white marble stone.

Engraved on a grayish-white stone tablet, 'Jacque Museum' was placed on the topmost step of the staircase before the building

"This place is beautiful" Joey muttered

"Thank you, Joey. That means a lot. Not many compliment the outside"

"But it's how one should view another, right? Pay more attention on the inside then the outside?"

The prince nodded to her statement "You're catching on to my intentions on the museum"

He led her up the steps until they reached the entrance of the building

"Prince Jeremy! Prince Jeremy!" A young girl skipped towards them

"Bonjour, les petit. Comment ça va?"

"ça va!" The young girl answered enthusiastically

"Comment vous vous appelez?" Joey asked, kneeling in front of her

"Amelie, mademoiselle. Je m'appele Amelie!"

"Enchantée, Amelie. Je m'appele Josephine" Joey held out her hand to Amelie

"Enchantée!" Amelie shook Joey's hand and ran away after hearing her mother call out to her

"You speak French?"

"Basic French" Joey shrugged as she stood up

"Shall we?" Jeremy offered his arm

"We shall" Joey smiled, wrapping her arm around his

…

"This is your favorite part of the castle? The east wing of the castle" Nathan greeted the waiting Isabella who was perched by an open window

"No, but it goes to it" She flashed a coy smile towards him

"Where to?"

"Out here" Isabella stuck out her bare leg out the window, alarming Nathan

"Your highness!" He restrained her, grabbing both her shoulders

Isabella snorted "Calm down, Nathan! Trust me on this, okay?" She shrugged her shoulders out of his grip and offered her hand

With much hesitation, he took it and was led out of the mossy window

They stepped onto a marble stair case that spiraled upwards.

"I didn't know there were stairs here…" Nathan mumbled, letting go of Isabella's hand

"There isn't. These are illusionary stairs"

Almost immediately, he had gripped her hand once more and stepped up with more pace

Isabella laughed once more and followed after him

Reaching the top, Nathan's breath stopped "Wow"

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Nathan stepped onto the balcony and stared wide-eyed at the scenery.

The sun was blocked out by thick, cumulous clouds and barely left any blue spots for the sky. The horizon was covered with patches of green and bright blue.

"There used to be small steps going here but the moss covered it up and it's far too impossible to climb up without any experiences" Isabella quietly said, sitting on the ledge in front of Nathan

"How did you discover it?"

"Josephine did. When she was escaping from her tutors, I suppose"

"I'm basically speechless, Isabella"

"So was I when Josephine showed it to me… it's too bad this might be one of the last times I'll be able to go here"

"Why?" Nathan was able to move his eyes from the scenery to Isabella

She frowned and looked down on her knees, biting her lower lip "This is the second to the last day until we go back to Italy"

"Oh…" He blinked "Yeah. I forgot"

Silence had taken over them for a minute or two until Isabella asked "Nathan, this morning, mother told me the Aristocrats were planning my marriage. If I can't prove that Fran loves me, I'll be married to someone who can probably ruin my entire life"

"Or probably change it, in a good way, I mean"

"How do you know? Did your father tell you?"

Nathan shifted uncomfortably "I… I'm the one they're arranging you with, Isabella. I know you love someone else, but my father doesn't believe me. I'm doing my best to convince them"

She stared, dumbstruck, at him "B-but, I thought you love someone else?"

"Yes, I do. My father knows"

"Then why set us up? Who is she, anyways?"

Nathan plastered a sad smile on his face "She's you, your highness"

Isabella gaped at him, astounded by the revelation

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so frank about it"

"_You_… love me?"

"It started as a crush when we were kids. You barely knew my existence and the Aristocrats weren't even settled here in the castle yet"

"You _love_… me"

"Your highness, please, I'm sorry. Isabella, I promise I will not get in between you and Fran"

"_You love me_" She repeated like a broken record

His cheeks were tinted red while nodding his head "I love you, Isabella Giovanni. I know you can't love me because your heart belongs to another and I can't compare to him because he has you. You chose a commoner over an aristocrat's son; that holds many ideas about Fran, Isabella. He must be really something then, huh? I can always see it your eyes how much you love him"

"Nathan"

"Your highness… Isabella. It's okay. I'll tell -no- I'll persuade my father to cancel the marriage so you can be happy with him, okay? I'll do everything, Isabella. Everything and anything just to make you happy"

Isabella can feel the tears pricking her eyes "If Fran and I don't work out… will you…"

"Be there. I'll be there for you, Isabella"

She pulled him into a hug, burying her face on his chest while she tightened her arms around his physique "If I had met you when we were kids, I swear… we could have been…"

"But we're not. _Past is past. We have to let go of it to get to the future_" Nathan interrupted; his voice filled with bitter resentment and regret, as he combed her hair with his fingers.

**...**

…

**CUT DUE TO SIZE OF THE FILE.**

**REVIEW IT STILL, THOUGH :-)**


	45. Prince Jeremy Jacque part 2

**CHAPTER 33.5**

**Since the file is too big. Lol.**

…

…

"You made all these?" Joey stared in awe of the paintings stuck on the eggshell white walls

The prince beside her nodded with his hands lazily resting in his pockets, casually gazing about their surrounding

"Is there something wrong?" She probed, looking around as well

"There might be some media in here. I wouldn't want a scandal"

Joey scowled "Ugh, the media. No sense of privacy for them"

Jeremy laughed "Oui, mademoiselle, I completely agree"

"I'm surprised that the people here don't rush up to you and ask for a picture or an autograph or say hi"

"They see me a lot here already, only the little ones run up to me these days. I'm practically a commoner here already, being one with my people"

"I'm Aerbourne's heroine! I have to disguise myself to roam around town. Even the new staff our castle gets looks at me like I'm some goddess. I mean, it feels nice at first, but they're like, like the media! Forever an indoors girl" She frowned for a second then laughed

"Joey, if you don't mind, is your sister fancying anyone at the moment?"

Joey took a moment to shoot him a coy, questioning look "Do you like her?"

Jeremy nodded his head, letting his hair bounce up and down "Quite"

"I'm sorry, but she does. A friend of the man I love. Well, teammate of the man I love. Wait, no, teammate of the boy I love" She said

"What a shame. I would have loved to meet her, at least. This boy, Isabella's lover, he must be something, huh?"

…

"Achoo!" Fran sneezed, almost hitting his head on the dining table.

"Stupid Frog" Bel scoffed, still angered by his previous statement concerning his feelings towards Isabella

"Is the window open?" Fran ignored him and looked at the windows of the dining hall

"None of them are open. The AC isn't even on full blast. Are you coming down with a cold?" Lussuria's motherly instincts kicked in

The youngest member shook his head and stirred his pumpkin soup with his spoon, ladling the orange liquid up and then letting it slip out of the silverware slowly.

"Don't play with your food, Fran!" Lussuria scolded, tapping the illusionist's forearm

"I'm not hungry. I'll be going up now" He pushed his chair back and lazily left the room.

"That frog" Bel hissed, nastily biting down on a piece of steak

"Quiet, scums" Xanxus hissed from his feasting, putting down the fork and knife he held tightly with both hands

"The boss finally appeared in the fanfic after so many chapters!" Levi praised in his seat

"To think the boss was on the phone for hours a while ago" Fran inserted

"Belphegor, Joey's ring?"

The blonde prince raised his left hand up and showed a ring with Varia's emblem and symbols of the cloud guardian

Xanxus continued eating and so did the rest of Varia, acting nothing had happened

After dinner, Bel barged into Fran's room and confronted the teal-haired illusionist

"Oi, Fran. Let's have a serious talk here. Were you serious about what you said?"

The young boy was perched comfortably in his bed with a book open on his lap "I'm not hungry. If I was, I wouldn't be in my room"

"Not that, you idiot" Bel threatened him with a couple of knives ready in his hands

Fran remained stoic and blinked at his sempai

"Are you serious about Isabella? That you don't love her?"

He nodded, remaining impassive

"She's returning here with Jo, most probably for you"

"Or probably for Jo-sempai"

"FRAN! Isabella loves you! Can't you see that?"

"No"

Bel threw his knives at him and stomped out the room, grunting

"VOIIII! WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE?"

"Squalo got his appearance like the boss too, ushishishi~"

"VOIIIIII"

Bel tsk'd and pointed to Fran's room "That idiot doesn't realize Isabella's feelings"

"Why are you forcing him?"

"I've been through this, Squalo. It's history repeating itself. Isabella as me, Fran as Jo, and whoever as Fran… I told Jo how I felt about her but she didn't realize and accept it. That's why she ended up with Fran at one point. Isabella shouldn't go through what I did"

"Che. You don't sound like the sadistic prince the ripper of Varia, Bel" Squalo scoffed

"Ushishishi~ I have my moments"

"Then what do you want me to do?" Fran stepped out of his room with a clear frown on his face

"I know that you like her back, frog. You wouldn't have kissed her that night in Aerbourne" Bel scowled at him

"That was nothing"

"You wouldn't have taught her how to make illusions!"

"It was out of pity. Her illusions aren't even worthy to be called illusions before I taught her"

That was the last straw.

Bel had brought out all of his knives he had on hand and aimed for Fran

To the amazement of both members, the illusionist merely waved a hand in front of him and the knives disappeared just before touching him

"Good night sempai's" Fran bowed his head and closed his door, as if nothing had happened

"Wh-what just happened…" Bel muttered

"I think we just saw… a part of Fran's real power…" Squalo silently gulped

…

"I had a lovely day, Joey. Thank you for visiting my country" Jeremy kissed the back of Joey's hand

"It was all my pleasure. Besides, thank you for sending me out into your country. If I had the choice, I wouldn't have come at all"

"Not much appreciate the provincial lands, unfortunately. Aerbourne has become rural, I believe?"

"No. Not at all! Well, not much. We've added infrastructures that can benefit to our country and slightly modernized some buildings and companies, but all our forests and rivers are still very much alive"

"I am in awe of your country, Joey. We've received word from the Western Kingdom that the Middle Kingdom plans to create a dam in our major lake; the Union Lake that connects us 3 kingdoms"

Joey glowered "Does the Middle French Kingdom have the right to do that?"

Jeremy shook his head "Their King is asking me and Princess Antoinette of the Western Kingdom for our approval. Both Antoinette and I disagree to it, but we're afraid that the Middle Kingdom will start a war. Everybody knows that their military strength cannot compare to mine and Antoinette's"

"I'll give you my word now, Jeremy. If ever a war will start between the French Kingdoms, Aerbourne will be there to help you" Joey grinned, stretching out her arm

"Thank you, Joey. As expected, I knew I can count on you" Jeremy shook her hand and after releasing it, he said "It's a long flight back to your home, Joey. Once again, thank you for today. Farewell"

"Au revoir, Jeremy" Joey waved goodbye to him and greeted Gina as she stepped into the car waiting for her.

With their final wave goodbye, they rode off to the airport.

"How was your day, my lady?"

"Great. How about you? Where did you go off to?" Joey inquired

Gina shook her head from left to right "I was waiting on you the whole day, my lady"

She jeered at her maid and said "You didn't frolic through the kingdom? Paris is like 2 hours away on car, you didn't bother going?"

"I did not _frolic_, your highness nor did I escape to Paris. I remained in this car, maybe walk to and fro but I did not stray too far from this vehicle"

"Weren't you bored?"

"To death, your highness"

"Then why didn't you go somewhere? Jeremy and I took almost 10 hours in the museums and restaurant" Joey faintly scolded her

Gina bowed her head "Forgive me, your highness. But in truth… I was on the phone for some hours"

"HOURS? WITH WHO?"

Her maid's cheeks tinted pink "X-Xanxus-sama, my lady"

"WHAT? FRATELLO? WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU TALKING ABOUT WITH HIM FOR HOURS?"

"Well, you, your highness… I told him beforehand that you shall return in 2 days time"

"That can take up to 5 minutes only! What else, Gina?"

"Uhm…" The maid was tomato red by now, avoiding her master's gaze

"Oh my god, Gina" Joey's jaw dropped

Gina kept her gaze away from Joey and her hands tightly gripped one another

"You had phone sex?"

…

…

**Lolling at Gina, yo. Anyways, yes. I have updated once more! BOW DOWN MINIONS. K. no.**

**Please review and I hope you like this chapter. It's quite long, no?**

**Btw. The conversation between Jeremy, Joey and the girl is really just basic French I learned in school. **

"Bonjour, les petit. Comment ça va?" = **Hello, little one. How are you?**

"ça va!" **= Fine!**

"Comment vous vous appelez?" = **What's your name?**

"Amelie, mademoiselle. Je m'appele Amelie!" = **Amelie, miss. My name is Amelie!**

"Enchantée, Amelie. Je m'appele Josephine" = **Nice to meet you, Amelie. My name is Jospehine**

"Enchantée!" **Nice to meet you!**

**REVIEWS! PLEASE AND THANK YOUU!**


	46. Prince Lawrence pt 1

**CHAPTER 34**

…

…

"Isabella!"

Blue tresses swirled around as Aerbourne's princess turned to face the source of the voice

"Isabella!"

She twirled once more, finding herself in the borderline of her castle hallways and a familiar looking living room

"There you are/There you are" 2 voices echoed together

Fran was standing in the middle of the living room, holding his frog hat by his side

On the opposite side, Nathan was in his usual stance: straight back, parted legs, with his fingers lazily tucked into his pockets

"Let's go, Isabella" Fran signaled her to come over with a movement of his head

"Your highness" Nathan reached out his hand for her to take

"Isabella/Isabella?"

…

_**1 DAY TO GO**_

…

"Isabella! Wake up already!" Joey shook her younger sister awake

"What? Stop! Josephine, let go!" Isabella wriggled out of her sister's grasp

"Fran? Nathan? Isabella Giovanni, what have you been dreaming of? A threesome?"

"Josephine! No!"

Joey scoffed "Well, moving on, since when have you liked Nathan?"

"I don't!"

"_Nathan.. Nathan" _Joey mocked, closing her eyes and imitating Isabella's sleeping posture

"He confessed to me, Josephine! Okay?" Isabella blurted out, pushing her sister's shoulders

"He-He what? He confessed? As in Nathan said he likes you?"

"He said he _loved_ me… since we were kids… before the aristocrats moved into the castle" Isabella quietly answered, looking down at her lap

"What did you say? Or… what did you do?"

"Nothing" She lied "I said and did nothing"

"That's harsh, Isabella. You know, aesthetically, I would have picked Nathan over Fran. He seems like the type to have abs… maybe at least a 4-pack"

"He has a 6 pack"

"WHOA THERE. HOW DO YOU KNOW?"

Isabella rolled her eyes "I went to his room yesterday since you left and he was waiting for his shirt to be ironed"

"I've never even seen Belphegor shirtless! You, my baby sister, are getting somewhere"

"I love Fran, Josephine!"

"I'm going to be a total bad person here but, you and Fran aren't even official, right?"

"Y-yeah"

"Take Nathan out then, for comparison"

"The aristocrats might think of it as something else, Josephine…"

"Why would they?"

"You're not the only one being set up for an arranged marriage"

"I know that"

"Aristocrats are in favor of having Nathan as my husband"

"Oh…"

Isabella's eyes seemed to dim down

Joey scratched her nape and sighed "Well, the decision is up to you, you know. Besides, I think you should give Nathan a chance. He's been so sweet and kind to us"

"You think Fran will mind?"

"You aren't official. It might bother him though, but for all I care, we barely know his feelings"

Isabella bowed her head in despair "Don't you have a date today?"

"With Lawrence of Mirquee" Joey rolled her eyes, recalling her past encounters with the prince

"Is he really that … bad? He's pretty hot"

"He is not"

"Tall, lean, big brown eyes, black hair. Most girls would kill just to have eye contact with him"

Joey rolled her eyes and stood up "Want to meet him with me? After I change, I mean" She was wearing her pajama shorts paired with Belphegor's shirt

"I'll go freshen up as well, then"

…

"Presenting the princesses of Aerbourne; Princess Josephine and Princess Isabella!" The herald announced, banging a brass staff on the floor

"God, I hate that" Joey grumbled to Isabella as they walked down the aisle together

"Does everyone really need to know that we're here?" Isabella whispered back

Joey can see a figure at the center of the room erect itself up and cast its gaze at them

"Lawrence, I presume" Isabella fixed her gaze on the figure too

As they got closer, the familiar black side swept hair got clearer.

"He looks like a lady-killer, Josephine"

"Literally" Joey whispered with caution, getting closer to him

"Good morning, your highnesses" Lawrence bowed his head

"Good day" Only Isabella replied to him, Joey kept her lips shut

"Princess Josephine" Katherina called out, her voice was mellow yet deep, enough for everyone to hear in the vast courtroom

Joey had looked up to her mother with a smile, but no words

"That dashing fellow is Prince Lawrence of Mirquee. I hope you two have a wonderful day ahead"

"Shall we, your highness?" Lawrence extended his arm towards her

She let out a small sigh and entwined her arm around his "We shall"

They exited the room with utmost grace, almost as if a man was to lead a lady to dance

"Princess Isabella" the distracted girl snapped her head towards her mother

"What? Oh! I mean, pardon me, mother"

Katherina's lips curved to a small smile "We need to discuss your own marriage"

"If I may, your majesty" An aristocrat from the left bellowed

"Go on"

"Princess Isabella, you are in the ripe age of 23. However, this is far too old for a princess like you to be still unwed. The aristocrats and your mother have decided that you shall wed Nathaniel, Sir Lucas' son"

"Unfortunately, your highness," Lucas spoke up from the rightmost pedestals "Nathaniel is not here at the moment, it is quite strange since he is present around this time"

"I understand, Sir Lucas. But is it possible for me to have the same conditions as my sister? If I can prove that there is someone who loves me and wants to marry me, I can marry him, right?"

"If it is what my daughter wants, it shall be so" Katherina immediately interjected, cutting off the aristocrat's retorts

"But, your majesty, if Princess Isabella does not prove that this person wants to marry her then she will be wed to Nathaniel"

"I am fully aware of that, Sir Lucas. Rest assured, if the person does not want to marry me, I would be happier with Nathan than with anybody else"

…

"Where exactly are we going?" Joey asked, keeping her calm as Lawrence led her out of the castle

"The princess is quite impatient, I see" He grinned

"Curious is more like it" Although he was correct.

She doesn't want to be with him right now. As far as she can understand, he is in the way of her going back to Italy sooner.

He kept his wide grin on his face, letting 2 dimples on either side of his cheeks to deepen

"A carriage? Is this a fairytale to you?" Joey snorted at the horse-drawn carriage waiting outside

"You're not into it? We can walk to the location if you want, but then again, you are wearing heels" Lawrence pointed out her 4-inched stilettos

Joey laughed and practically blushed "I hate heels! Isabella told me to wear these!"

"Then take it off! You absolutely do not want to wear heels to wherever we're going"

"Are you serious?"

"I am deadly serious"

"Fine! I'll take them off!"

Joey bent down to remove her shoes while Lawrence kept her steady

"Toss your shoes in the carriage and I'll remove mine on the way there" He ushered her in and shut the door

"You are so different" Joey mumbled to herself, slightly shaking her head

"I beg your pardon?"

"No, no, it's nothing! It's just that… you're attitude was different during the party"

"Oh. That. That was my father's doing. Pressuring me to court you because I am the only son of my family and I need to procreate"

"Well, let's not talk about family business now. We are on a date" Joey ribbed, winking at him

"If you say so then" Lawrence flashed another smile

"I just remembered, you have a sister, right? Elizabeth?"

Lawrence's smile faded "Yes, my older sister Elizabeth. I'm sorry for what she had done to you in the powder room. We can say that she was… PMS-ing"

"Is she always like that?"

"No. Yes. Very much, actually" He shrugged between his answers, a coy smile forming once more

Joey whistled "I hope it doesn't run in the family then"

"I hope so too" Lawrence admitted

Their ride was way down the hill where the castle was built

"Did you know that there are hundreds of secret passages in the castle? My great grandmother, Queen Mary Anne IV, had them made during her reign. You see that pile of boulders over there?" Joey pointed outside to exactly what she was talking about "Behind that is a secret passage way into the castle"

"Amazing. I suppose you know every single one?"

"Indeed, I do! I had just enough time to learn where one tunnel leads to another when I was on my way to my tutors. They're exciting to learn"

Lawrence looked back at the boulders they had just passed "Weren't you afraid? What if you get trapped or get lost?"

"There are burrows filled with oil on the right side of the walls. All you have to do is throw in a matchstick and all the paths will be lit bright as day"

"You're truly amazing, princess"

"Words can't capture my heart, prince. But thank you" She acknowledged.

Maybe she judged him from a wrong angle…

…

Isabella quietly walked towards Nathan's room, making sure her heels won't click

As she reached the door, when she was about to knock, the door swung open

Her fist landed on Nathan's chest instead "Oh. Pardon me"

"Your highness! What are you doing here?"

"It's Isabella, Nathan" She pouted her lips and eyed him

"And it's a habit, Isabella" He rolled her eyes at her with a bashful smile

"Your father is looking for you. He's wondering why you weren't there in the courtroom"

Nathan stepped outside his room and closed his door "I slept in, actually. I couldn't sleep a wink last night"

"Why is that?"

"Probably from the coffee… 3 cups, I think"

Isabella crossed her arms "That is not healthy, Nathan. Why were you drinking so much?"

"I was reading, okay. It was a trilogy. 3 long books, single-spaced"

"Book worm!" Isabella ribbed, sticking her tongue out at him

"That's better than being called a geek"

She raised an eyebrow "People call you a geek?"

"Yeah, like the other kids of the aristocrats in this castle"

"THERE ARE OTHER KIDS OF ARISTOCRATS IN THIS CASTLE? How come I've never seen them?"

Nathan scoffed "They're either in their rooms being lazy asses, having the maids serve them, or they're out partying at clubs, out on dates, or having sex with other aristocrat kids, I am the only one who is responsible among them" He arrogantly said

"Of course you are" Isabella sarcastically agreed with a nod "Are you close with any of them?"

"Most of the guys. I'd say my closest friend would be John. John Verde. He likes to write, if you're wondering why"

"Can I meet him?"

"His room is in the south wing, like all the other children of the aristocrats"

Isabella stopped in her tracks "Why is yours here in the north wing?"

"Since I am the responsible one, my room has to be closer to the courtroom. They all got demoted to the sad part of the castle, where the only view out their window is the castle armory"

"That's pretty sad"

"But it serves them right. Leaving me with all the work while they waste their lives, I deserve that room with the kingdom of Aerbourne as a view!" He protested, crossing his arms

"So they never bothered going to the courtroom?"

Nathan glanced at her "They do, sometimes. But only when they're called… for the 5th time"

She let her heels click against the pavement as they walked down the shortcut corridor to the south wing.

It echoed throughout the hallway, making it clear that their conversation had died down to silence

…

"Lake Saphir? You brought me to Lake Saphir?" Joey inhaled the fresh air as Lawrence helped her out of the carriage

As promised, he, too, was barefoot "My favorite location in Aerbourne. This was first place we visited during our first tour here. I fell in love with this lake. I fell in love with how blue this lake is"

"Maybe you should marry this lake instead"

He chuckled "I don't think I can procreate with a lake, Josephine"

"You can have puddles for babies and finally, you called me by my first name"

"That's very funny, Josephine, besides, I like your name"

"You can have it" Joey joked, fiddling her toes between the grass "I have people call me by Joey"

Lawrence raised a brow "You don't like your name?"

"It doesn't suit me. My personality, I mean. I feel more like a boy instead of being a princess"

"Which makes you very interesting, Josephine, you're not like those stuck-up princesses who prefer to go to spas rather than go out and do charity work"

She glanced at him while they circled the lake "How do you know I did charity work?"

He sheepishly smiled and looked at her "One of the servants in my castle told me that she saw you help out with relief operations when you were a younger"

"It's a hobby and a habit for me. Not at the moment though" She admitted

"I hope you wouldn't mind having our lunch here"

Joey looked ahead and saw a picnic setup; a red and white checkered cloth laid out on the grass and a wooden basket on it

"Cliché?" Lawrence asked, offering his hand

"Classic" Joey took his hand and let him lead her to the picnic area

After they sat down, he opened up the basket, which was engraved with Mirquee's symbol, and took out a thermos with 2 paper towel-wrapped sandwiches

"Mirquee's chicken and pumpkin soup, I hope. It's my favorite" Joey helped him take out the paper bowls from the basket

He nodded "It is, and these are your kingdom's famous fried pulled pork sandwiches"

"You really planned this out, Lawrence" She took the sandwich he handed over and removed the packaging.

"Not really, I don't know what to do after this" He threw a coy smile while he bit down on his sandwich.

There's not much to talk about now.

They quietly sat, finishing their packed lunch while casually looking around.

"It looks as if it's going to rain any moment" Lawrence glanced up at the cloudy sky.

She stared at the corner of his lip, bothered by the smudge of barbeque sauce that he failed to wipe off.

"Uhm, Lawrence, wait" She grabbed a tissue from the picnic basket and leaned forward.

He blinked at her for a moment then tipped forwards, clashing his lips on hers.

…

"Weeeee~! Joey-kun is on the newspaper!" Lussuria spun around, holding out the said media.

"Ushishishi~ what does it say?" Belphegor's interest was piqued by Lussuria's outburst inside the living room.

The sun candidate stopped to read the headliner out loud "After years of waiting, has the prince of the Eastern French Kingdom finally met the one to let him inherit the king's title? Yesterday, Prince Jeremy Jacques was spotted at one of his famous museums with the eldest princess of newly revived kingdom, Aerbourne, Princess Josephine Giovanni. The two were happily enjoying as they stroll outside the museum, arm in arm"

Bel was frowning at this point, snatching away the newspaper from Lussuria's hands.

He stared down at the large picture of his princess and some other man, who were arm in arm, whilst looking as if they were pictured while laughing.

"Belphegor, don't rush into conclusions…" Lussuria reminded him, warily.

"_I'm bound to someone else_" The words echoed in his head once more, causing him to shove the crumpled pieces of paper back to Lussuria.

He silently stomped out the room, his fist clenched to the point his knuckles had turned white.

"Bel!" Lussuria called out but the only replied he got was the slamming of the living room door.

He looked around in desperation, sensing some trouble brewing. Lussuria ran to the nearest phone and immediately dialed Gina's phone number.

"_Hello?_" The familiar tone of the maid reverberated.

"Gina? Gina! There's some little trouble here… Bel and I just read the newspaper article about Joey-kun and a prince… what's his name… Jeremy, was it? Anyways, we read about them and saw the picture, please tell me it was absolutely nothing!" Lussuria quickly muttered, frantically pacing about.

The other line was silent for a moment "What newspaper is this, Lussuria?" Gina's tone turned ice cold.

After answering her, Lussuria quietly sat as Gina calmly explained to him what had really happened.

"It was just a set-up date and it is absolutely going nowhere? No bells ringing soon?"

"None, only if we are open to the fact that my lady and Belphegor-sama will be getting married" Lussuria can _hear_ her smile.

"Kyaa~! Thank you, Gina! I have to clear things up with Bel now. You can't imagine how angry he was! It was so scary~ We hope to see you all soon! Bye~!"

After dropping the phone call, Lussuria started a manhunt for Bel.

"Hmmm, Bel… I told you not to jump to conclusions!"

…

…

**Reviews please! Sorry for the long update! This chapter is once again cut! ;)**


	47. Prince Lawrence Pt 2

**CHAPTER 35**

…

…

Joey was red and flushed, her hands covering her mouth in shock.

"Forgive me, your highness, I misread your actions!" Lawrence apologized, equally red from his mistake.

"I-I was just going to clean that sauce smudge off your face!" Joey felt violated somehow, secretly wiping her lips.

Lawrence wiped his thumb across the corner of his lips and reclaimed all the excess sauce left there.

"Oh, how embarrassing… I am truly sorry, your highness, I don't know how I can make up for the mistake that I've done"

Joey sighed "What's done is done, but let's just pretend nothing happened… okay?"

"Of course" Lawrence managed to smile out of the awkwardness.

"So, what now?"

The boy sheepishly scratched his nape "I actually don't know"

"A walk? The rocks here are smooth and act as a masseuse to feet"

After glancing to the side, he nodded "Then let us take a stroll, your highness"

…

"John? John! Open up! Someone wants to meet you!" Nathan knocked on cherry wood door.

"Maybe he's busy… And if he is, then I don't really want to be a bother to him"

He scoffed at her and retorted "You're the princess of this castle-"

"Second" Isabella corrected.

"Either way, he will stop anything he is doing now, literally drop whatever he's holding, just for you"

"You're exaggerating!" She moped, crossing her arms.

The door opened and a boy, as tall as Nathan, with big round glasses and a messy black hairdo, came out, holding a couple of papers and a quill pen "Nathan-…"

One glance at Isabella, who shyly waved at him, he dropped the items in his hand and bowed ninety degrees, exclaiming "Your highness, what a pleasure to be graced by your presence!"

"I told you so" Nathan arrogantly scoffed at her as she told the stunned boy to rise.

"W-what- I-I-I mean, How-how c-can I be of y-your serv-service, your highness"

"Isabella is fine, John" She giggled at his stutters.

"P-princess, p-p-princess I-Isa-Isabella know-knows m-my name" The dumbfounded boy stammered, blushing brightly.

She nodded "Nathan tells me he's closer to you than the other aristocrat kids here, so I wanted to meet you"

"So long story short, Isabella, this is John Verde. John, this is Isabella"

"How can you call her highness so casually?!"

"Nathan has become my best friend for the past month, John. I hope we become well acquainted as well"

John blushed then scurried to get the items that fell from his grasps.

"I'd like to meet the other kids, Nathan. How many are you guys?"

"50 teens, 20 kids, 5 babies" John noted, erecting himself up.

"All in all?"

The two nodded.

"Then bring me to the other 73 kids!" She cheered, clapping her hands.

…

"May I ask, Josephine, about that prince you seem to fancy"

"What about exactly?" She smiled at the thought of Belphegor.

"What is his relationship with you?"

Joey paused in her steps to think about it "He's my boyfriend, more or less, maybe. Our feelings are mutual, that's for sure. But when I return to Italy tomorrow, then I'm sure that he is my boyfriend"

"Italy?"

"Yes" She nodded, continuing to walk beside him.

"Tomorrow already?"

Joey giggled "You see, Isabella and I, we planned it a week ago. We plan on living in Italy with Varia"

"Varia, the assassination squad? And you claim I'm different. You'll leave your mother here?"

"She allowed us to go. Of course we'll visit every now and then"

"But what if a crisis comes?"

Joey shrugged "Then I will most definitely come back here and deal with it until the crisis ends"

Lawrence remained quiet for a couple of minutes until his phone rang "Excuse me, your highness"

After Joey nodded, he left to answer the call.

"In less than a day, Bel, I'll be there" She murmured to her reflection of the blue lake.

Her irises were in perfect match with the lake water, glimmering under the afternoon sun.

"Tonight is the night Isabella and I will go back to them"

"To whom, if I may ask, your highness?" Lawrence appeared behind her, tucking his phone inside his pocket.

"Varia, as I mentioned before. Our flight is tonight"

"Perhaps we should end the date here, Josephine. I'm sure your own prince is waiting for you. Thank you for the wonderful time, your highness"

"No, thank you for coming all the way here to my kingdom for some short fleeting hours of a date and also for the lunch"

Lawrence held out his hand, and once Joey took it, he kissed the back of her hand "Shall I bring you back?"

"No, you should try and procreate with the lake first"

"Aha, I'll do it when I have brought you home! God forbid you to see such things!" He laughed, tagging along with her joke.

…

"That's the fifth room we've been to that's empty! Nathan! Are you pulling my leg or something?!" Isabella's impatient side showed as they move on to the sixth room down the hall.

"I am not! I assume they're in their rooms around this time!" Nathan looked out at the dusky sky.

The blue haired girl marched to the ash colored door and pounded "Hello?"

"_Come in!_"

"Whose room is this again?" Nathan turned to the quiet boy beside him just before Isabella turned the knob.

"Edward Lockhart…" The two boy's eyes widened in realization

Isabella had already screamed in shock and all they can do was pull her out and shield her eyes.

"It's Princess Isabella!" The mortified teens inside the room exclaimed, hurriedly grabbing something to cover their bodies.

"Yeah, it is! Why on earth would you tell someone to go inside the room when you're all busy doing that?" Nathan scolded while Isabella buried her tomato red face on his shoulder.

"Exactly! We're busy doing this" A boy who pulled on his creased blouse and trousers pointed out.

"I shouldn't have let Isabella go near your room, Edward" Nathan shook his head.

"Neh, Nathan, let's just skip the teens here and go to the next room" Isabella looked up, still red.

"Okay then, Isabella"

"How could you address the princess so informally? You should be ashamed of yourself!" Edward scoffed.

"No, you should be ashamed of yourself! All of you!" Isabella turned around, just blushing a shade of pink "I understand why the aristocrats deem Nathan the responsible one out of 50 teenagers here!"

The teens were taken aback by her statement, but soon agreed in silence.

"Unlike the friendship I have established with John a moment ago, I'll know all of you some other time. When all of you are behaved and fully-clothed" She grumbled the last sentence and stormed out of sight.

"Damn, Nate. So it's true that you're Isabella's fiancée?" Edward whistled.

"No. I'm not. Just like what she said about John, I'm just her friend" Nathan eyed him then proceeded to go but Edward's remark stopped him.

"You'd be lying if you say you don't love her and want her to be your wife"

"John, let's go"

The baffled boy nodded and closed the door, following after Isabella and Nathan.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Isabella"

"I'm sorry I saw that, too" She was obviously still traumatized "D-Does that happen often?"

"Everyday" John chirped, ending up with a bruise on his shoulder from Nathan's blow.

Isabella felt her cheeks burn up again "I thought they'd have a little dignity for themselves, being aristocrats and all"

"They think that is their dignity. If only their parents knew, huh?"

"T-the aristocrats don't know?"

Nathan shook his head "Of course not, if they did, then they'd lock up their sons and daughters, and actually get them to work"

John agreed "I wouldn't be a writer if my father hadn't disciplined me well"

"John used to be an alcoholic. Drunk everywhere and anywhere"

He sheepishly agreed once more to Nathan "But I stopped! I swear! 5 solid years of not touching hard alcohol"

"Impressive! W-wait, it's dark out already…" Isabella glanced out an open window.

"It's about 6 already" Nathan shrugged his watch under his sleeve.

"Josephine should be back by now! I gotta go! Our flight is at 9 and we haven't packed yet!" She started running forward.

They watched her disappear around the corner.

"Nathan, what Edward said awhile ago…"

"I can't do anything about it, John. As you heard, her flight is tonight. After 9, who knows when she'll be back" Nathan started to walk the opposite direction.

…

"Did you two have a lovely date?" Queen Katherina greeted them alongside Gina.

"Quite, your majesty" Lawrence helped Joey out of the carriage and bowed at them "I'll take my leave then. Thank you for the wonderful time, Josephine. See you soon?"

"Perhaps" She nodded while Gina wrapped her in a cotton cloak.

Lawrence bowed once more, entered the carriage, and rode away.

With the vehicle disappearing from the horizon, the queen and Gina were shocked with Joey's childish outburst afterwards.

"BELPHEGOR! HERE I COME!"

…

…

**A/N: I'm really sorry for the long, long, long, long, long update. I had to go to Math summer school and Art Lessons so my summer was full. Added to that was my laptop charger problem and then my 4****th**** year in high school began. Yes, Rj-san is now a senior /do you hear my back cracking from the distance?/**

**Anyways, I still appreciate those readers who subscribed to this story during its long hiatus and those who review it gave me more reason to update!**

**Also, if any of you are EXO stans, follow me on twitter: /RoseanJulie and on tumblr: maknaesdancersrappers dot tumblr dot com**

**Reviews? PLEASE AND THANK YOU! /showers the readers with Belphegor and Fran cookies/**


	48. Back to Varia

**CHAPTER 36**

…

…

Lussuria was cooking dinner by 5 p.m. already; filling the mansion with fragrant scents from different dishes being prepared in several, separate pots and pans.

"VOIIIII!-"

"Not now, Sququ-chan! I'm busy!" He dismissed the shark so quickly it caught the captain off guard.

"What's the occasion anyways" Belphegor tried to swipe a quick taste from one of the pots, only to be swatted away by Lussuria.

"Be patient! Go away and let me work! This has to be perfect~~"

The prince and the shark looked at each other with wary and curious expressions, but still left the frantic sun candidate in the kitchen.

"_We'll come back by tonight, Lussuria"_ Joey's voice rang in his head and he cooed to himself.

"I can't wait for them to be back~~"

…

_Queen Katherina was seeing her daughters off at the courtroom, disheartened by their choice but proud of their independence._

"_Mother, we'll set off now. We'll stop over at France to formally hand Jacques your signed treaty with his kingdom" Joey tried her best to avoid her mother's teary eyed goodbye._

"_Take care, Josephine. And where is Isabella?"_

_Joey turned around, hoping Isabella to pop out like she always does when her name was mentioned._

_After a couple of seconds, she turned back to her mother "Maybe getting some extra things from her room"_

…

…

_Nathan was about to retire for the day, not even bothering to watch the princesses leave for who knows how long because it was going to hurt. It won't show. But it's there. Deep down inside where it hurts the most._

"_Nathan?" The knock on the door made his heart skip a beat._

"_Isabella?" He found himself running to his door and swinging them wide open._

_She was there, dressed to go and looking a little down, but excited._

"_Y-you're not seeing us off?" She looked down at the unraveled necktie hanging around his neck._

"_A-ah…"_

"_I guess you're tired since I dragged you around the castle. Sorry…"_

"_It was nothing, Isabella. Don't stress on it… I thought your flight was in an hour?"_

_Isabella looked down at her blue ribbon doll shoes and back up at him "I was wondering why you weren't down there and—"_

"_And?"_

"_I wanted to ask you something—just one thing and that's it"_

_Nathan nodded "Anything"_

"_A goodbye kiss, Nathan. It's what I want…" She avoided his gaze by staring back at his exposed clavicles._

"_A kiss?"_

"_Just one, Nathan. I feel bad for not really returning your feelings and –"_

_He put up a finger to her lips and lined his with hers almost too quickly "I said anything. So it's what you'll get…"_

"_Just one" she repeated._

"_Just" He sighed "one"_

_Nathan kissed her softly, pressing his lips down on hers._

_She responded with no hesitation._

_Not thinking twice before kissing back, before letting him enter, before it all ended up on his bed with unruly clothes, and it was then when she found herself cold from the lack of clothes, but hot from the growing tension, found herself panting and gasping and moaning, found herself leaving red scratch marks on his flawless skin, found herself asking for more, found herself crying out his name…_

_And then she found herself staring blankly at her lap on the flight to France._

"_My lady" Lisa, her new lady-in-waiting, handed her a glass of water._

"_No, it's okay. I'm not thirsty" She barely said, but Lisa understood and left._

_Another fleeting moment of silence passed before she heard her sister's voice ring beside her, causing her to glance over._

"_Anything you want to talk about?"_

_Of course Joey knew something was wrong._

_Isabella shook her head "I'm just… tired. And all these emotions… yeah"_

"_Then sleep. It'll be 5 in the morning when we reach France. Then we'll be heading for Italy and we'll be there just by dinner"_

_She nodded and turned her head away, and immediately tears came out as she started to quietly sob._

…

…

"Has Isabella waked up since we departed from France?" Joey kicked back her seat and hugged her legs.

"No, my lady"

"I wonder why she's so tired? Why aren't I tired?" She sighed and pulled on her sweater's hem.

Gina handed a neatly folded blanket "Try to get some sleep, my lady. We'll be in Italy by 8"

"Hopefully Varia can hold their appetites before that"

"Hopefully Lussuria can hold them off long enough"

Joey laughed and looked out her window, seeing only the only element that calmed her – clouds.

Releasing another sigh, she closed her eyes and hummed herself to sleep.

"Sweet dreams, my lady"

…

"VOIIII! LUSSURIA GODDAMNIT IT'S 8 ALREADY LET US EAAAAT!" Squalo started to swing his sword around carelessly.

"Yeah! We want to eat! Think about the boss!" Levi complained as well.

"Ushishishi~ but the boss looks fine even though he usually eats around 6 p.m." Bel pointed out.

"I don't care anymore, let's just eat already" Fran grumbled from his seat.

"I said be patient! We have a special guest tonight! Why do you think our beloved boss is quietly waiting for the time to eat?"

"WELL WHO IS THE LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT ANYWAYS?"

A wineglass found itself smashing on Squalo's head and he instinctively glared at Xanxus who, to his surprise, still had a wineglass on his hand and staring straight ahead with a hungry look.

"THAT LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT IS ME YOU IMPATIENT PIECE OF SHIT" Joey screamed back at Squalo.

They were all taken aback, not by Joey's dirty mouth, but Joey's presence with Gina and Isabella.

"YAY~~ YOU GUYS ARE FINALLY BACK! MY FELLOW GIRLS ARE BACK WITH ME. LET'S ALL EAT NOW!"

"VOIIIII! FINALLY!"

They took their seats without another word and started filling their stomachs.

Joey kept glancing at Bel and when she wasn't looking, he would sneak a peek.

Isabella was looking over at Fran who clearly gave more interest in the food than the new presences in the dining room.

Gina squirmed uncomfortably as she would catch Xanxus' eyes locked on hers while she stood a couple feet behind Joey's seat.

Dinner was more of a feast than festive.

But the minute it was over, Bel grabbed Joey's wrist and dragged her out the room.

On the other hand, Isabella looked over at Fran once more, hoping he'd do the same as Bel.

But the illusionist merely yawned and stood up, leaving the room with a another yawn.

It broke her heart. Maybe she should have stayed.

"Talk to Fran, Isabella. He's been acting strange for the past days" Lussuria urged.

Hesitant, she followed him out the door.

"Let me help you clean up" Gina began picking up the dirtied plates.

"No. To my room" Xanxus stood from his seat, loudly dragging his chair back.

The maid froze in her place and settled the stacked plates up on the table.

"Eh… I-It's okay, I'll fix them up myself" Lussuria nervously laughed.

"I'll immediately come back-"

Xanxus took her by the arm and lowly grumbled "Don't bet on it"

The quick silence after his words made the Gina's gulp the louder than anyone's breath.

"What exactly…"

"A climax for every day you weren't here"

She gulped once more, knowing they were gone for more than a month.

…

Bel brought her up to his room and closed the door behind them "Have you fallen in love with someone else?"

Joey paused to throw him a confused look "What? Why would you think that?"

He threw a crumpled piece of paper at her and sat on the edge of his bed.

Opening the wrinkled page was the headlines of a news article on her date with Prince Jacques.

"It was a set-up!"

"You look happy" were the bitter words that left his mouth.

"The aristocrats set us up, okay! He has his own love interest! Besides! He's pretty gay-ish to me! Bel! Are you seriously jealous?"

He shot up from the bed "How would you feel seeing the one you love with someone else?"

_Love._

"I'm telling you it was nothing!"

"Were there other set ups?"

"2 others. I didn't like any of them. None of them were my type… none of them were you"

Bel sighed and stepped closer to her, cupping her face "You hated each one?"

"I befriended them, Bel. But I made it clear that there was someone else. You"

He kissed her once and pulled away "You're my princess, got that?"

"And you're my prince, got that?" She tiptoed to kiss him.

When he was about to pull away, Joey held him closer.

She pushed him until they fell on the bed and he stopped her.

"Are you sure?"

Joey nodded and let him hover above her.

"But your duties"

"Are bullshit and not my priority right now"

"Are you sure?" He repeated.

Joey took a deep breath and looked straight into his eyes.

Belphegor kissed her lips and let her get more comfortable in her position under him.

Soon, their tongues met and their hands roamed freely on each other's body.

Clothes started to fall one by one on the floor until the last clothing article – a simple black underwear – rested among the previously discarded ones.

More intimate than ever, they kissed longer, harder, and wetter, but it didn't last longer.

Bel began to kiss the corner of her lips, her jaw line, her neck, her clavicle, and he went lower and lower until he got her gasping and the words escaping her lips became breathy and desperate.

She tugged at him to come up and had her crying in pain and pleasure when he entered her in a swift motion as he did.

He drowned her sobs with relieving kisses, moaning in her mouth when their movement became in sync.

Joey thought for a moment, throwing her head back, on how Bel seemed experienced.

But she immediately dismissed it, when something started to collect in her tummy.

Then the next thing she knew, everything was black after her final cry and she can feel Bel's arms around her after the sheets pulled over them.

…

"Fran, wait" Isabella caught up to him.

He turned around with the same tedious look he was known for "Ne?"

"Ah… I-I… why haven't you talked to me?"

"What's there to talk about"

Isabella frowned at him "Us?"

"There is no 'us', Isabella-sempai"

"Sempai?" She repeated "You call me Isa-chan, Fran. If there is no 'us', then what was that kiss? That world you conjured for me that night in Aerbourne! What was that to you?"

He kept a straight face "A waste of time" Fran started to walk back to his room.

A black wall stopped him.

"I came back for you!" He looked back at her and saw her illusions escaping from clenched knuckles.

"Who told you to come back for me? Why would you anyways?"

Isabella choked on her tears "You told me you'll be mine"

"And you believed that?"

"Of course, I did! Because I was stupidly head over heels for someone who looked like who couldn't love but just said he could!"

Fran broke through her illusions with a simple snap "I never said I could, or would, or will"

She let her tears stream down when Fran continued to walk and her illusions faded.

Desperate and broken, she cried out "I was better off with Nathan!"

He stopped, but didn't turn around. "Who's Nathan?"

"Someone who I know loves me! Who wasn't afraid to tell me he does!"

"Then why didn't you stay with him"

"B-…" She paused "Because there was you. If I knew you didn't feel the same way, both of us could have been happy. Not in this mess"

"Then go back to him" Fran walked back to his room without looking back.

"Fine. I will" Isabella bit back, stomping away, ignoring Gina being pulled by Xanxus.

"Lady Isabella!" Gina called in concern, only to be hushed by Xanxus.

"She's a strong girl, whatever happened to her, she can handle. You should be more concerned for yourself"

"35 days"

He continued to lead her to his room "What?"

"We were gone for 35 days. I expect to come 35 times, then"

Entering his room, he chuckled lowly "You should expect more"

…

…

**Okay no need for a XanxusxGina scene right? But if you guys want, please tell me so :)**

**Reviews? Please and thank you!**


	49. Drama in the Morning

**CHAPTER 37**

…

…

Joey woke to her body sore and throbbing, as if she'd gone through hell all night.

But we all know it was heaven for her.

However, the minute Joey remembered what happened, the smile on her face vanished.

"Oh shit" She forgot her duties. The rules she had to abide to.

She wasn't allowed to fornicate before marriage; whether or not she was engaged to man, she had to wait after the wedding before they can mess around at night.

The worst thing that can happen from last night is a baby forming in her womb.

Did Bel use protection?

She couldn't remember and it worried her.

Although they would be forced to marry, would Bel even want a kid? He hated Fran, which is the closest thing to a kid in the mansion, already, what more a screaming baby?

"Isn't it too early to be waist deep in thoughts?" Bel's voice rose from behind her.

She turned to him and smiled at his hair which was messier than ever "Is it?"

"Oh, not unless it was about last night, we can always retrace our steps right now" He kissed her cheek.

"No" Her duties flashed in her head "I'm sore all over"

"Sorry?"

She laughed, "No" she repeated "No need to say sorry. I asked for it, I should have seen the aftermath coming"

Joey suddenly jerked up "What time is it? They can't know we slept together, Bel! Most especially Gina because she's going to give me an earful and-"

"Don't bet on it. I went out to get a drink around midnight and I heard some dirty things in the boss' room. Ushishishi~ I still do when I got thirsty again a couple minutes back" Bel snickered.

She blushed "This early in the morning?!"

"I wonder how Gina is putting up though" Bel chuckled once more.

"Either way, they can't know" Joey got off the bed and collect her discarded clothes "Anyone else who's awake?"

"Your sister slept on the couch last night. I told her to take the vacant room beside the frog's but she refused"

Joey stopped buttoning her blouse to look at him.

"That's a lovely sight, princess~"

Ignoring the comment, she asked "On the couch? She slept there?"

"Yeah" Bel shrugged and stretched his arms up.

"She told me she was really tired when we got on the plane. She even slept the whole plane ride from Aerbourne to France then here"

"France?"

"I gave a treaty to Jacques. Nothing to be jealous about" She snapped, buttoning her shorts.

"I didn't say anything" He grumbled.

Joey tossed her hair back and glanced at Bel "See you at breakfast"

"Your hair got longer"

She paused in front of the mirror; her purple locks reached past her shoulders already "Should I cut them?"

"No. I'd like to see you with long hair"

She grinned at him and left the room to go to hers.

There, she washed up and changed to her usual clothes that she wears under her uniform: black shorts and a purple tee.

Joey then proceeded downstairs to her sister, who was in fact, sleeping on the couch and Lussuria seated on the opposite armchair.

"Good morning, Joey-kun"

"Good morning. Isabella…?"

"She came crying to me last night, Joey-kun. She wants to go back to Aerbourne"

"What?" Instinctive onee-san senses kicked in "Why?"

"She said something about a Nate? Nathan, was it? Someone there who was worthier than Fran"

"Nathan? What happened with Fran?"

Lussuria frowned and shrugged his shoulders "I heard them last night screaming upstairs. I'm surprised you didn't"

Joey forced herself not to blush and dismissed the topic "Screaming? They fought?"

"Isabella was screaming. Saying she was better off with this Nathan boy. Who is he by the way?"

"An aristocrat's kid in the castle. He's Isabella's age and just some days ago he confessed to her. But she told him about Fran and he respected that. That's all I really know on their so-called relationship… oh and…"

"And?"

"Well, if Isabella doesn't have any love interest, she would be engaged to Nathan. To be married next June"

Lussuria perked from his seat "Oh! June weddings!"

"It's an Aerbourne royalty tradition"

"That's so sweet-" Lussuria stopped spazzing when Isabella flinched.

"Good morning, baby sister" Joey leaned over the couch.

"Hm. Josephine?" She grumbled, opening one sparking purple eye at her then closed it again "Ah, good morning" she yawned as she sat up.

"So, I hear you want to go back to Aerbourne"

Isabella froze, wide-eyed at Joey.

"I had to tell her, sweetie. She's your sister" Lussuria reasoned, standing up "I'll leave you two alone to talk" then left as he promised.

"What happened?"

Isabella sighed and leaned back on the couch "I want to be with Nathan instead"

"And Fran?"

"Said he didn't care. He said he didn't say he wanted me back here, that he didn't love me or…" The tears choked her once more.

"Okay, okay. Stop" Joey kissed her forehead "Aren't you getting ahead of yourself? Talk it out properly with Fran first"

"No! I made up my mind! I want Nathan! At least he knows and told me that he loves me! At least he's of royal lineage! At least… at least…"

"Isabella, wait"

"At least he's the one I lost my virginity to!"

The door opened and Fran entered with shocked eyes but thin lips.

"Isabella! You know the rules!"

"I don't care!" She shot up from her seat "Call it teenage rebellion or shit like that, but I don't regret sleeping with Nathan, most especially last night!"

Isabella charged out the room, ignoring Fran's presence, and called for Lisa.

Joey stood up and sighed "Fran…"

"Good morning, Jo-sempai~" He raised a hand up.

"Fran, don't. Not now. Don't hide anything whatsoever"

"Eh?"

Joey frowned "Fran, I know you heard what she said about Nathan"

Fran nodded "Yeah, I heard, Jo-sempai. She's in her teenage rebellion phase or something like that"

"Fran!" Joey exasperated "Did you really just play with her emotions?"

He remained impassive and shrugged.

"Fran!"

"Jo-sempai, you heard her. She wants that Nathan. I was about to say sorry for acting that way last night. I'll just let her be"

"You were about to apologize? Fran, go after her!" Joey exclaimed.

"She already slept with Nathan, Jo-sempai. Before going here, in fact. He must be a little more special than me since she just couldn't wait"

Fran made a point and it hurt Joey to know this because she knows how Isabella feels… or felt for Fran.

"So that's it? No fight-for-her kind of thing?" Joey watched Fran plop down the couch and turn the TV on.

"No. Not my kind of thing"

Joey sighed and walked out, looking for her sister.

"That little brat… good thing she left" She heard Squalo mumbling, emerging from a corner and rubbing his arm.

"Left? What do you mean?" Joey ran up to him, concern growing for her sister.

"VOII! YOUR GODDAMNED SISTER STORMED OUT AND HIT ME WHILE OPENING THE DOORS!"

"Did she say where she was going?" She started to walk past him.

"Home"

She started to run after his response, "Isabella!"

Past the main entrance, Joey skidded to a stop when she saw the car they used to get there missing.

"Jo?"

She turned with a frown to Bel "She went back home"

"I thought this would be her home"

Joey shook her head "Not when her heart just got broken"

"What did that frog do?"

"I'm guessing he turned jerk last night and Isabella took it to the heart. He was about to apologize awhile ago but Isabella charged out. And now she's on her way back to Aerbourne, back to Nathan"

"Nathan?"

"An aristocrat's kid. He likes Isabella, he even told her. But she rejected him for Fran, so I guess she's going to take that back"

Bel slumped an arm around her "You seem pretty calm about this"

Joey sighed "She's 24, Bel. She may act like a kid, but she can be mature. It's either she'll learn from this or regret it in the end. I can't control her life anymore or even try to… I should call home and tell them that Isabella's coming back"

"_This_ is _your_ home now. Ushishishi~"

She shook her head with a laugh "Fine, fine, I'll go call _my_ home in Aerbourne then"

With that, she went back inside and phoned the only number she has of someone in the castle.

"_Hello?_"

"Nathan, it's Joey"

"_Your highness. It's been a day, what brings you to call me already?_" The tinge of amusement was present in his voice.

"Isabella ran off. She's heading back there. Call me immediately when she arrives. Also, inform our mother"

The other line went silent.

"Nathan?"

"_Sorry, princess Josephine… but come again, Isabella ran off? Why?"_

If you only knew.

"Nathan, she told me just a little while back that you two… what's a more subtle word for it… fornicated?"

Another moment of silence.

"Nathan, you know the rules"

"_I'm sorry, your highness_"

"Don't say sorry to me. And I'm guessing it's Isabella who came on to you, correct?"

"_Y-yes, your highness. But, I still shouldn't have done so, I-…_"

"Just" She cut in "Make sure she's fine and sane. And Nathan"

"_Your highness?_"

"Keep her happy. Like you always do"

"_Of course, your highness_" was his response before Joey said goodbye and hung up.

"Like he always does, huh?"

Joey jumped at the sudden voice behind her "F-Fran…"

The boy seemed down today, despite his usual tedious façade.

"Fran, we need to talk about you and Isabella…"

…

…

**I'd love to know what you guys want to happen in the coming chapters! I'll take them into consideration ^ ^**

**Reviews please! Thank you~~**


	50. Fran's feelings and Isabella's decision

**CHAPTER 38**

…

**Warning: Fran might be out of character.**

…

Fran and Joey stood in silence after she had just dropped the phone.

"Fran"

He dropped his eyes down to the floor.

"Fran, how do you… _did_ you feel about Isabella, really?"

"How did I… How _I do_ feel about Isa-chan"

The nickname made Joey smile for a second.

"It was great to finally find someone worthy of playing around with illusions. No one could understand me. Isabella didn't either. But she tried. And if maybe she tried a little harder, she will"

"So?"

Fran looked up at her and repeated her words "So?"

"Did you love her?"

"I do love her. Shame I only realized now"

…

"Atchoo!" Isabella sneezed.

"My lady" Lisa handed her a tissue.

"It's fine…" She declined and looked outside the car, seeing the Varia mansion nowhere on the horizon.

For a second, she remembered Fran's expression on the corner of her eye when she confessed.

She was desperate to find a reason to go back home that would deem sensible for Joey to allow it.

His face didn't give much clue to how he felt. But his eyes did. The eyes she loved so much.

She saw shock, pain, regret, and maybe a tinge of anger that flashed before his eyes all at once until all fell back into a dead stare.

"Lisa… do you think my actions are too… rash?"

"I don't have an opinion on that, my lady"

Isabella sighed "Yes you do. You're my lady-in-waiting but that doesn't mean you don't have an opinion"

"Well" Lisa slightly squirmed in her seat "Uhm. I would, but… I don't know what's really happening, my lady"

She let out another breath and started telling everything; from the start.

…

"Stupid frog… stupid Isabella!" Joey paced back and forth in her room, biting her bottom lip and fiddling her thumbs together.

It couldn't possibly be that complicated for 2 people to realize they love each other, right?

Then again…

She stopped on her tracks and smiled to herself, she was the one who _cried_ over Belphegor when she realized she loved him. Hell, she even denied it and dated Fran.

Maybe it was just a minor setback before they realize they really are meant for each other?

"Princess~" Belphegor whispered in her ear, slipping his arms around her waist from behind.

"How'd you get in without me noticing?" She leaned back and brought one hand up into his hair.

"Beats me. You seemed to be deep in thought~"

Joey hummed a long note, staring down at the floor.

"Princess?~"

"I know I said that Isabella is old enough to take care of herself and make her own decisions but… I guess I'm still a little worried. Fran just told me he loved her, Bel. She needs to know but Fran doesn't want her to… not anymore at least"

Bel released her and she spun to face him "What do you mean?"

"From what I understood from Fran, he knows it's his fault why this happened so he thinks he shouldn't waste Isabella's time and beg her to come back"

"Ushishishi~ who knew the frog thought like that?"

Joey shrugged her shoulders and sat on her bed, resting her chin on her open palm.

"Hey~ We shouldn't really butt in anymore"

"I know. It's not what I was thinking about… Belphegor, last night, it was rash and I'm not saying it was a mistake, but it was too fast for us. I understand that I said my duties didn't matter and that was my mistake, they still do and I just don't want to disappoint my mother so… last night hasn't happened yet, okay?"

Bel frowned and shook his head "Okay, so it means…"

"I'm still a virgin as far as Gina and the others know"

…

Two days later, Isabella let out a breath as she stood outside the courtroom of the castle.

She was sure that Joey had called their mother, what she didn't know if she said the actual reason why she came back.

"_The second princess to the throne, Princess Isabella, has returned, Your Majesty"_ She heard the guard announce and she straightened her back.

The large wooden doors opened and the guards bowed as she walked passed them. The knights stood erect with their eyes fixated to the ceiling.

"Welcome back, Isabella" Katherina smiled effortlessly as she sat on the throne, her ankles crossed and her hands folded on her knees.

"Y-your majesty, did… Princess Josephine…"

"Yes, your sister had informed me of your abrupt return. Although, it was young Nathan who explained why"

Isabella blinked "N-Nathan?"

"You choose him over the boy from Varia, correct?"

She swallowed a hard lump in her throat. This was it. Whatever she answers is final and she can't escape from it.

Her eyes darted at the aristocrats seated around the throne, even Nathan was there who was standing behind his father, and all of them are listening attentively and waiting for her reply.

"_Fran doesn't love you, Isabella_" She reminded herself "_Nathan does…"_

Her eyes dropped to the floor and her stance softened "_Even though Fran was your first love…_"

…

"_So you've had your fun?" Isabella panted, watching the illusion of her white dress phase back into the dress she wore for the party._

"_You can say that. Did you learn?" Fran's clothes returned to normal as well._

"_I guess so"_

_They both watched the world Fran made turn to mist that fogged the hillside._

"_That was really beautiful, Fran… I hope I can make realistic illusions soon"_

"_You can, I know it" The corner of his lip tugged upward a little._

_She giggled "Is it because you'll be teaching me and you'll make sure I'll learn no matter what?"_

"_You're making me sound like my master" He stared down at his open palm and conjured an indigo rose "But I will teach you, not because your sister said so, but because I think it'll be fun"_

"_Fun?"_

"_You're fun to be with" He tucked the rose above her ear and she could see a ghost of a smile grace his lips._

…

"Yes, your Majesty" Isabella looked back up at Katherina with glassy eyes "I choose Nathan…"

…

…

**Huhu I know I know it's bee but please, I am in my senior year and truth be told, I am in trouble of repeating the year so I really had to focus on school.**

**But now I am on a roll~~ Weeeeee~! Also, the story will slightly focus on Isabella, Nathan, and Fran, but no worries, all the love is still on Joey and Bel~**

**Reviews? Please and Thank you!**


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